Collide
by LaughOutLoud305
Summary: Alison Campbell is your average Oscar winning teenaged actress. But when an UnSub the team has been tracking for a year kills her family, he makes his first mistake and leaves her alive. Alone, with nowhere to go, she moves in with Jennifer "JJ" Jareau. But what will she do when the UnSub starts killing again? And how will she adjust to her new life when her two worlds collide?
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

"Please! Don't hurt me! I never did anything wrong!" The man grinned at her, showing yellow, slimy teeth. Although she was revolted, she kept screaming. He grabbed a knife, and brought it back. In a smooth fluid notion, he threw it into her chest, smiling as her screams died.

"And... CUT! That was great everybody. Just amazing. I don't think we need a second take," the director said proudly. "Alison, go wash the fake blood off before the next scene."

Alison grinned. "Really? I think it's a good look for me. Don't you?" The director laughed.

Everybody knew of Alison Campbell's famous humor. After all, that had been what originally separated her from her Disney Channel counterparts five years ago, and what still made her a household name today. But, even if that had not been the case, she would have stood out just by her perfection.

She was beautiful enough to be a model, yet was well known for her fights against judging on inner beauty instead of outer beauty and being a supporter of every charity known to mankind. She was an amazing actress, who could do comedy, drama, romance, or any other genre you could think of. Even her looks, with her stunningly blue eyes, skinny yet curvy body, and long, luscious raven black hair, set her apart from your average too tan, bleached blonde bobble head that you could see on cable at any given moment. People wanted to be her, and some would stop at nothing to have her.

* * *

"Hello? Mom? Dad? I'm home!" Alison cried out, annoyed with her parents. "Hello? Anybody here?" The lights were off, which should have been the first sign that everything wasn't as it seemed, but Alison didn't care.

She marched up all thirty of the hand carved oak steps until she reached the third bedroom on the right. It was marked as belonging to her parents only by a small note on the front, marked to housekeeping, unlike her and her sister's bedrooms, which had their names plastered over every surface available.

Alison stepped inside, screaming when she saw the scene that had awaited her. Scarlet was at every surface, making the cream inside of the room appear to be red. On the bed were the bodies of her parents. Before she could process anything more, she ran out of the room and into the hallway.

Throwing caution to the wind, Alison looked next door at her sister Grace's room. Opening the door a crack, Alison whispered "Gracie?" There was nobody there. She walked into the room, closing the door behind her. "Gracie? Are you here?" Alison heard a muffled groan from the closet. "Grace?"

Alison opened the door to the closet. There was blood. Lots and lots of blood that Alison knew, no matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to erase from her memory. She started to cry, but hearing a slight noise on the stair case caused her to run under the bed.

She could hear footsteps on the squeaky floor in the hallway. This was it. This was her end. He walked into the room. Alison could see his black boots on the floor. Squeak, squeak, squeak went the floorboards. The boots stopped in front of her hiding spot. Alison could see his shadow bending down, as he lifted up the blanket that hung over the side. He saw her and grinned as she screamed.

* * *

"Help! Help me!" Alison's voice was dry, and her lips were cracked, but she could not give up hope that somebody might hear her. "Help me!" It was too much. She heard footsteps on the stairs and rolled over, knowing that, even if help was coming, it would be too late for her.


	2. Chapter 2

"So this is it. The homes of the rich and famous," SSA Jennifer "JJ" Jareau said to her best friend, Emily Prentiss. Prentiss laughed. In front of them was a giant two story house that looked like a city in of itself. Except for the Crime Scene tape, it was like any other house on the street.

"Come on, JJ. The Detectives already held off for eight hours, we don't want to make them wait any longer. Besides, since when do we let Hotch beat us to the crime scene?" JJ laughed. Their supervisor Aaron Hotchner and they had a long running joke over who could get to the crime scene first. Usually, he lost.

The inside of the house looked virtually the same as the outside; clean, well decorated, and expensive. "JJ, Prentiss, Reid, get the top floor. Rossi and Morgan, down here with me." Both groups nodded. They were used to the drill.

When they had finished climbing the expensive never ending staircase, they looked around, trying to find a place to start. "Reid, go take the master bedroom. JJ and I will get the rest of the rooms." Reid started to say something, but was cut off by the look in Prentiss' eyes. Mutely, he nodded.

When he was out of earshot, JJ grinned. "Emily, I think you broke Reid." Prentiss started to laugh as they entered the second bedroom. Immediately, her laughter died on her lips when she saw the bloody scene that awaited them. Knowing she had to get on with her job, Prentiss spoke quietly, informing JJ of the victims.

"Alison Cassandra Campbell, 15, and Graciela Belle Campbell, 13." JJ looked at the two girls for a second, mourning the loss of two more lives. "Ready?" she asked gently. JJ nodded.

Slowly, they processed the room inch by inch. JJ picked up the evidence from around the bodies, as she couldn't touch them until the Medical Examiner came. She grabbed all of the trash around Alison's body, and was about to move on before something caught her eye.

"Prentiss? Come here. Now." JJ's tone wasn't commanding at all; in fact, she might have been scared. Prentiss walked over to her deliberately.

"What?"

JJ pointed at the body. "Look. Just look. Does anything look out of place?" Prentiss walked around the body, inspecting it before finally nodding her head.

"Yes. Why is there fresh sweat on the victim? Only living people sweat."

They exchanged a glance before screaming to Reid, or Hotch, or whoever was listening, "Help! She's alive!"

Now that they were looking, they could see a little puff of air leaving her mouth in the cold room. The sound of sirens were gradually getting closer, sounding out safety for the young girl on the bed.

Reid ran into the room. "Emily, what can I do to help?" JJ noticed that he deliberately avoided addressing her. He still hadn't gotten over the breakup a few months earlier, when Strauss made a new no-dating policy in the unit. It had broken their hearts, but they had to get over it.

The EMT's were here. JJ could hear Hotch and Rossi directing them upstairs. To make things easier, JJ stuck out her head a called out, "Here." They ran up the stairs and into the room, leaving scuffs on the perfect wood. Behind them ran Hotch, looking lost.

"Get her on the stretcher! Be quick about it. She's not going to be okay for long," one of the elder men, who looked like the leader, screamed at one of the younger technicians. When they got her loaded onto the stretcher, they carried her back down the stairs in the same fashion they brought her up. Only the leader and Hotch stayed. "Has she got any family we need to inform?"

"I don't know," JJ snapped. Working crime scenes never put her in a good mood, and this time she was in even worse of a mood then usual. The leader lifted up his hands palms first in a gesture of defeat.

Hotch, usually the quiet one, spoke up. "JJ, go to the hospital with her." JJ was puzzled.

"Why? Send Morgan. Kids love him."

He looked uncomfortable. "The last three families the UnSub killed, he raped the older daughters before killing them."

"Oh," was all she could say. They were silents until the paramedics downstairs yelled they were leaving.

On her way out, JJ turned and said to Hotch, "Catch that SOB for her." He nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

Alison opened her eyes to see white. All she could see was white. Bright white that made her eyes hurt. She rolled over, trying to go back to sleep, but she couldn't. All she could see was blood, and his face. All of that blood. Her parents. Her sister. Gone, just like that. She started to tremble; whether from shock or from something else, she did not know.

Getting out of bed, she cautiously approached the door, ignoring the shooting pain in her ribs and shoulder. "Hello? Is anybody there?"

A woman Alison did not know rushed up to her. "Alison?" she stated.

Alison nodded haltingly. "That's me."

The woman smiled. "Thank goodness you're okay. You had all of us scared."

Only then did Alison notice the pounding in her head and ribs. Now that she noticed it, she wondered how she could have missed it.

Feeling nauseous, she ran back into her room and to the bathroom. She threw up the little contents in her stomach, and felt sick. She wished her mother was there to hold back her hair, and crack jokes about how nobody would want to hire her when she looked like that. After all, that's what mom's were for. She sat down in the corner of the bathroom and started to cry.

The door creaked open, and the woman from earlier came in. She brought a Dixie Cup full of water, and a package of breath mints. She gave the cup to Alison, and sat down next to her.

Alison looked at the cup suspiciously, not trusting anything, but then deciding that there couldn't be any harm in it - and that she was really thirsty - she took a dainty sip before pouring all of the water into her mouth. The cool, wet water soothed her throat for a few minutes before her stomach reacted violently to the flood of water after nothing for so long. She jumped up, and held her head over the toilet again as the water came back up.

This time when she was done, the woman said, "Are you okay? Do you have a fever?" As a reflex, she reached out her hand to check Alison's forehead. Alison grabbed the soft hand with both of her and pinched the tender web of skin between the thumb and the index finger. The woman didn't flinch.

"Don't touch me. Please." Alison added on the please as an afterthought, but the message was clear enough. No touching. The woman nodded, and Alison let go.

In an infuriatingly calm voice, the woman said, "Nice to meet you Alison. My name is JJ. I'm with the FBI."

Alison laughed. "Don't all of you FBI Agents have super long titles or something?"

JJ laughed as well. A real laugh, not a fake one. "Yes, but we save those for the suspects. Usually, we just go by our first names for victims."

It just sort of popped out, but JJ couldn't take it back. Rule number one: Never remind anyone they're a victim. Alison's big blue eyes glimmered with unshed tears. _Great. Now I've done it,_ JJ thought to herself. She felt smacking herself on the head. That was a rookie mistake.

"Alison, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to - It just slipped out -"

Alison cut her off. "I know. And I have to get used to it."

JJ blinked in surprise. Not even all adults would be able to accept what happened as easily as this teenager just did. JJ felt this was a good time to mention the inevitable. _Like ripping off a band-aid,_ she chanted to herself. Gesturing towards the bed, she sat down with Alison beside her.

"Alison, I need your statement of what you remember."

Alison looked at her. "What do you mean?" JJ swallowed. This was not going to be an easy conversation.

"He did some... stuff to you. Do you remember any of it?"

Alison looked down. Whispering, she said "I only remember him leaning over me, and kissing me. He was heavy, and he kept saying my name. It hurt so much. I just wanted to die." What she was saying just caught up with Alison. She clamped a hand over her mouth. "He- he did it. To me. " She started to cry.

JJ wanted to just wrap her arms around the sad girl, but she couldn't. She had a job to do. "Alison, we need some things from you. To help us identify him."

Alison nodded, visibly trying to pull it together. "Fine. But will they tell that I'm here?"

JJ looked to where Alison was looking. Now that she pointed it out, JJ could see that the doctors and nurses were looking through the clear window to where Alison's bed was. "Why do they care about you so much?" JJ asked curiously. If she could, JJ swore that Alison's jaw would drop open.

"Do you mean you don't know who I am?" Alison said, awestruck.

JJ nodded before Alison started to laugh. She laughed until her ribs hurt, and her eyes started to cry. JJ smiled, and asked, "What's so funny?" Alison replied, "If only my parents could hear you. My mom thinks that everybody should know who I am. That's what's funny." JJ smiled before looking back out the window, as Alison was doing. From their vantage point, they could see the nurse walking with purpose towards Alison's room.

JJ stepped out to give them some privacy, and to do what needed to be done. As a reflex, she pulled out her iPhone to see what news Hotch and Rossi had for her. Nothing. Looking back in the room behind her, she could see the curtains were drawn around the bed. Knowing that they would be awhile, JJ pressed number 2 on her speed dial.

"Hello, this is Penelope Garcia's Office of Supreme Genius. How can I help you today?"

"Garcia, it's JJ."

Garcia laughed into the phone. "Well I knew that, babycakes. So what's up?"

"I'm at the hospital with the living victim right now. Doc says a couple of cracked ribs, a concussion, and unthinkable emotional damage."

JJ could imagine Garcia wincing. "Ouch. So what can my amazing office and I do?"

"Do me a favor and Google her. Name is Alison Campbell." JJ heard the tapping of Garcia's keyboard, and the beep of her computer cross-referencing every database known to mankind.

"Holy shucky ducky! Angelface, why don't you ever tell me when we have a celebrity in the house? First Lila Archer, now Alison Campbell. Is this one also going to try and date Reid? Because that boy still hasn't gotten over you."

JJ bit back the sting of tears in her eyes. Her friend didn't know how badly those words hurt her. Masking her upset voice, JJ said sarcastically, "Har-har. I'm laughing on the inside. She's a 15 year old girl that doesn't know what she's dealing with. What information do you have?"

"According to my trusty friend Google, her name is Alison Cassandra Campbell, 5'8", born on October 17th, 1997, has a sister - " JJ cut her off.

"I know. But what about personal life? Home problems? Publicity issues?"

"I'm looking, Sugarplum." JJ tapped her foot impatiently while Garcia looked for answers. "Found it! She had a stalker back in 2008 - wait, he's in prison. Never mind. Just the usual suspected drug abuse, boyfriend drama, best frenemies, family problems, ect."

JJ scratched her head, wondering what the hell she was talking about. "Garcia, go to family problems. Anything serious?"

"Maybe. There are rumors of abuse by both parents to her and her sister, and she had been hospitalized three times for exhaustion and dehydration that the media based on her momager."

"Excuse me?" JJ asked, deciding once this was all over she was getting a dictionary of modern American slang.

"Her mom, who was also her manager, was overworking her. Also reports of physical violence by her father, but no charges were formally placed. The ME says there's evidence of old breaks on the sister's bones, and incorrectly healed fractures, so I'd ask the doctor to check out some X-Rays."

"Okay. When you get a chance, can you send over Emily? We need another agent here to clear everybody that goes in and out of that room."

"Yep. TTYL munchkin!"

JJ shook her head, wishing, just for once, that Garcia could speak in English. Sitting down on the bench outside of the room, she realized she hadn't slept in 48 hours and only had one cup of coffee. Promising herself she would only take a cat nap, she closed her eyes for a minute, and, before she knew it, was fast asleep.

Author's Note: Hey everybody! This is my first story, and I was just wondering how you like it. Sorry if it ever takes me a little bit to get the chapters up, but I just want to make them the best I can, and then there's school:( So bare with me! PM me if there's anything you want in the book, or who your favorite CM couple is (I totally ship JJ and Reid), or just if you want to say hi!


	4. Chapter 4

"Goddammit, wake up! Jennifer!"

JJ opened her sleepy eyes, wondering what was so urgent the normally cool Emily Prentiss was yelling at her for. "Em? What happened?"

Prentiss glared at her. "While you were taking a little nap, one of those damn Paparazzi came in and interviewed the victim. She freaked out, had a nervous breakdown, and now it's all over the news. We tried to restrain her, but she's strong and stubborn."

JJ sat up, all tiredness forgotten. "What are you saying?"

"We lost her, and the whole world knows about it," she said bitterly. "Strauss is pissed off at us, and, to top it off, the doc thinks that the chances of her making a full recovery are becoming slimmer the longer we can't find her. Apparently, the concussion may be tied to the breakdown."

"Why now? She seemed to be coping better than any other victim ever the last time I saw her. What happened?"

"Who knows? Probably was grateful to get out from under that roof. Results of the X-Rays came back with numerous old injuries."

JJ was quiet. _Poor girl,_ she thought. "Let's find her, Emily."

* * *

In all actuality, finding her was harder than JJ had anticipated. It took three hours, combing the floor again and again before JJ found the small girl huddled in a corner with her arm in an unmistakable turquoise cast.

When she saw her, JJ could have cried with relief. "Honey? Alison? Are you there?"

The dark hair lifted, revealing shockingly blue eyes, and gorgeous features that, even covered in dirt and grime, belonged on the cover of a magazine. "I'm not Alison."

JJ laughed nervously, wishing backup was here. "Of course you aren't. Let's go back to your room, and we can figure out who you are."

"No, JJ. I know exactly who I was. I was Alison Campbell, daughter to Rob Campbell and Meghan Campbell. My sister's name is- _was _Grace Campbell. I was the girl everyone wanted to be. I was the best. But I want more than that. I want to help others, not spend the rest of my life making millions of dollars and then spending it on stupid things like my fiftieth designer ball gown or my twelfth iPad. I want to do what you guys do. I want to make a difference. Not be chased by Paparazzi for something stupid, like starring in a movie, or winning another award."

Something in her tone of voice told JJ that Alison had thought this through, and knew exactly what she was doing. Sighing, she said, "Okay. But we have to get you back to the doctor. They think you're having a nervous breakdown."

Alison laughed. "That's funny. And here I was thinking they were crazy."

JJ offered out a hand, and Alison looked at it suspiciously before JJ remembered Alison's one rule: no touching. Shrugging, JJ put it back down at her side, and Alison stood up. "Ready?" JJ asked. Alison nodded.

When they were almost back at the room, Alison stopped suddenly. "JJ, can you promise me one thing?"

JJ thought for a minute, trying to decide whether she could trust her, before saying "I can try."

Alison smiled on the inside, but stayed serious on the outside. She had a feeling that JJ would do all she possibly could to help her. "Can you promise I won't be in a hospital tonight? That I will be anywhere but here. That I will be away from all of this craziness."

JJ didn't know what to do. "I can try, but they think you're crazy. They may not listen to me."

"Thank you."

* * *

"Please Hotch? All she wants is one night away from here."

"Jennifer, no. Where would she go? Even though the doctor has cleared her of her concussion, she still has broken ribs, a fractured arm, and she may not be stable."

"She can stay with me, and Prentiss and I will fly back and turns watching her. If she's comfortable, she may remember more about the UnSub."

Hotch sighed. "JJ, we can't just take victims out of the hospital and across the country on a whim. There needs to be a reason."

JJ turned to walk out of the small room, but before she exited, she looked at Hotch still watching her. Looking above his head, she saw a camera, which sparked an idea in her head. "Hotch, what if we can outsmart the Paparazzi by taking her out tonight?"

Hotch looked at her. "Nice try, but that still doesn't help the fact that we're taking an unprotected minor away from the hospital, where she might die while we are held responsible, and that there is an UnSub with psychopathic tendencies that wants her dead, as well as using up valuable resources for multiple flights across the country. Am I missing anything?"

JJ smiled wanly. "Nope. But if we keep her in hiding, we may draw out the UnSub so he makes a mistake. And we're sitting ducks at the hospital like this. The Paparazzi made sure everybody knew where she is. And even if not, everybody in the state of California will know who - and where - she is. Nobody in this Godforsaken state seems to know what privacy is. Even if she's locked in a hotel room, somebody will see her and call the Paparazzi, who will broadcast it around the world."

Hotch could see her line of thinking, and realized that, even though it was dangerous at first, it was the safest and smartest move in the long run. Cursing his media liaison, he spit out the words JJ was waiting to hear. "Fine. But nobody can know. And she stays with you and another agent at all times. Actually, she stays with you and Emily or Garcia. Strauss has been having my ass with the new fraternization policy."

He was mostly talking to himself, as JJ had walked towards the door. Calling over her shoulder, she said, "Don't worry!"

Behind her, she heard Hotch mumbling incomprehensible things, but it sounded suspiciously like, "Whenever she says that, I immediately start to worry." JJ grinned as she picked up speed, her long legs carrying her to Alison's room quickly.

When she got there, she saw Prentiss and Alison packing a bag with her few belongings. JJ grinned. "Really? I just got the okay from Hotch."

Prentiss smiled at her. "Great! So we're all set."

JJ nodded. "Let's go!"


	5. Chapter 5

After they got to her house after the five hour flight back, the first thing JJ did was make Alison go and take a shower off all of the dirt and grime that had collected on her body. Understandably, personal hygiene had taken a backseat over the last few days, but a hot shower could make the world seem a bit brighter.

When Alison came down in a pair of JJ's sweatpants and an old T-Shirt, JJ and Emily stared at her until she felt uncomfortable. "What? Did I only take out one contact? Is there broccoli in my teeth? What?" Alison questioned.

Emily and JJ shook their heads in unison. "It's just... You look totally different," JJ said. And it was true. Alison's previously raven black hair was now a dark rich auburn with copper highlights, her previously light tan skin was now almost white, and her dark blue eyes were now a bright color that was somewhere between blue and green, but didn't look natural.

Sheepishly, Alison said, "Oh. That. When I started acting, my mom said that dark haired girls did the best, so that's what they made me into. Also that my eyes were too unnatural, so they switched them to blue." At JJ and Emily's baffled expressions, Alison smirked and said simply, "Contacts, temporary hair dye, and a fake tan, all reapplied daily."

Mystified at what the world was coming to, JJ jumped up and said, "Dinner anyone? I don't know about you, but I'm starved."

* * *

"So Alison, what do you expect to do? Like, long term?"

"I guess I want to become a profiler, and help people. Like you guys do."

JJ leaned back. She had expected as much of a reply. "Okay. So what will you do until you're 18? Do you want to go back to high school?"

Alison laughed nervously. "Actually, I've already graduated from high school. My mom made sure of that. As soon as high school requirements were over with, I had more time for filming." Emily and JJ stared at each other. "Great! So now we've got that settled, on to the next thing!" Alison continued brightly.

JJ stopped her from jumping ahead. "Alison, you need to decide what to do about college. You're still a minor, which would allow the state to take custody of you."

Alison shook her head fiercely, causing her red hair to shimmer like it was on fire. "No. I'm done having people live my life for me. I want to make the decisions. Can't I become emancipated or something?"

This idea had not occurred to JJ. "Emily? Do you think that a judge will let her become emancipated?"

"Maybe. I would imagine so though, and I could talk Hotch, Rossi and Strauss around if we can get a judge to agree. But you will have to go to college and get a job." She directed her steely gaze onto Alison, who quickly nodded.

JJ grinned. "Great. If you're getting emancipated though, there is one thing you should consider." Alison looked at her to continue. "If the UnSub is looking for you, he probably bugged your name. As well, if you go shopping and use a credit card, what's the chance that somebody will put two and two together and figure out you're the famous actress with the same name who went missing?"

Alison groaned. "You mean I have to come up with a new name?"

Emily smiled. "Don't worry! We'll help you."

Alison groaned again. "What do you think I'm afraid of? And no, if either one of you comes up with some name like Nevaeh, then we're all dead."

JJ laughed at Emily's hurt expression. Playing Peacekeeper, she said, "Let's find you a new name."

* * *

The whole thing turned out to be a much harder task than any of them had anticipated. Taking a quick break, they walked into the kitchen to make giant cups of coffee. JJ glared at Emily and Alison. "This is exhausting. So we don't want any popular names, like Catherine, Elizabeth, Mary, Margaret, Emma, Isabella, or Madison. No names like Courtney, Ashley, or Brittany. No names that haven't been used in the last century. What names are we left with?"

Alison laughed. "Are there any names with Ali in them for a nickname? That's what Grace used to call me."

They were all silent, thinking, before JJ rapid-fired names at Alison. "Alyssa? Alexandria? Alexis? Allegra?"

Just as quickly, Alison shot back her opinion. "Sounds like a 70's child, I thought we already said no city names, too boring, and is that even a name?"

Emily grinned. "She got you there, JJ. Now let's all go to bed if we want to not pass out. Not like you have ever done when you're supposed to be watching a witness."

JJ grinned and followed her friend upstairs. When she turned around and found that Alison was still on the ground, she said timidly, "Ali? Are you ready for bed?"

Alison jumped. "Sorry. Yeah, I am. I was just thinking... Something Emily said sounded familiar to me. What do you think of Natalie?"

JJ smiled tiredly. "If you and Emily can agree on it, then I love it."

"Do I need a new last name?"

"Probably. Ali Campbell is still pretty close to Alison Campbell. Now, goodnight."

As JJ trudged up the remaining stairs, Ali was back on the computer, searching up her family tree. Looking through the generations of names, she finally found some that she liked. And, by the next morning, she had totally transformed from Alison Cassandra Campbell, A-list Hollywood starlet, to Natalie Belle Montgomery, a smart young girl on her way to becoming one of the greatest FBI Agents the world has ever seen.


	6. Chapter 6

**(Summary for the next bit of the book... Sorry, wouldn't fit in the summary box!) Three years later, it is Ali's birthday. In three years, she has successfully completed every course the FBI Academy has to offer, as well as settled into her new identity as Natalie Montgomery. Keeping her grounded and sane, the team has become a family to her. But Ali wants more. She wants to be a full agent, and put others before herself. But how can she do that when the man who killed her parents is still out there, searching for her?**

_"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival." -C. S. Lewis_

"JJ! Ali! Open the door, goddammit!" Emily Prentiss knocked against the wood door that separated her and the early bite of the fall wind from the warm indoors. "I can hear you two in there! If you don't open up, I swear I'll - I'll..." Emily was at lost for what she would do.

She was saved as the door creaked open, revealing a stunningly gorgeous girl leaning against the doorframe. "You'll do what, Emily? You'll officially move in and turn off all the hot water to make up move faster? Because JJ would kill you. And I would help her."

Emily scowled at her before they both started to laugh. "I don't know, but I wouldn't say anything if I were you, Ms. Moved-in-three-years-ago-and-still-hasn't-moved-out."

Only a few seconds late, JJ walked to the door. "Smooth, Emily. But nice try. Is Ali didn't live here, how could you tease her about her messy room and weird habits and then accidentally tell everyone within earshot? Do you think she'll ever invite you to her future house?"

Ali looked offended. "Is that how Morgan found out I sleep with a Teddy Bear? Because he never lets me forget it. And, it's not actually a Teddy Bear as much as it's a weapon."

Emily grinned. "Yeah, what were you planning on doing? Stuffing them to death?" She laughed at her own bad joke.

Deciding the wisest course of action would be to switch the topic, JJ said, "Sorry guys, but we have to get to the BAU. Urgent case, and Hotch wants us there ASAP."

Emily and Ali nodded, and the the three of them walked to Emily's car parked on the curb. They drove to the BAU in silence. When they got there, they all hurried up to the conference room to get briefed.

Ali was the first to walk in. All of the lights were turned off, and the room appeared to be empty. Going outside to grab JJ and Emily, she found that they, along with the rest of the people that roamed the building, were missing. Feeling like she was in the middle of a nightmare, she walked back into the conference room. She felt around for the light switch on the wall, and flipped it on.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" The team jumped up and shouted. Ali jumped three feet in the air. Morgan came over and lifted her up like she was a toddler.

"Happy birthday, little girl!" Ali pummeled him with her fists on his back, wishing that he could feel it. Morgan laughed. "Little girl, you're 5'5" and maybe 105 pounds wet. You don't scare me." Ali pinched Morgan's pressure point in his neck until she felt his grip on her start to weaken. Twisting out of his hands, she dropped nimbly to the floor. "Hey! No fair!" Ali stuck her tongue out at him, and turned around to find herself facing Hotch.

"Ms. Montgomery. I seem to remember a peaceful time, with no fighting before you joined the team." Ali looked at the floor, partially because she thought it was something a well-behaved young lady would do at this point, and partially because at this angle Hotch wouldn't be able to see her grinning face.

"What Mr. Grouch here means to say is happy birthday, Ali." Emily came up and clapped Hotch on the shoulder. "Nice job Mr. Scarypants, but it's Ali's 18th birthday, and we are celebrating! If you have to torture her, have fun and keep the spotlight on Ali all evening, because judging by her face, I'm guessing she wished I had a memory as bad as JJ's and totally forgot. Am I right?" Emily turned to Ali for an answer.

Ali froze, unsure of what to say. Luckily, she was saved by the cake. Garcia walked through the door, holding what looked to be a giant ball of frosting. "Happy birthday Ali!" she cheered, holding out the cake like an offering. "I made it myself! It's red velvet, your favorite!"

Looking at Garcia's happily grinning face to Morgan, JJ, and Emily's proud faces, Ali thought she would cry. Hotch and Rossi came up behind her, each holding paper plates and a knife. Ali knew Hotch would be that first to speak, and she was correct. "Happy 18th birthday, Ms. Montgomery. And may you have many more."

Ali smiled, not even realizing that he eyes glimmered with unshed tears. Sure, her 15th birthday was at Disney World with Mickey there to cheer her on, and all 500 of her closest friends to help share the one of a kind designer cake featured on Hell's Kitchen, but this beat that by a lot.

"Hey Ali? We do want some cake, so if you just want to blow out the candles..." Morgan prompted. Ali shook herself back to the present and blew out all of the candles, just remembering to make a wish.

Everyone cheered for her, as Hotch cut them all slices of cake. "Present time!" Garcia cheered.

Ali groaned on the inside, but smiled outwardly. Garcia led her over to a table that was overflowing with presents. Smiling, Emily handed her the first gift. In it was a brick and a gift card to Sephora. "Ummm... Thank you so much for the thought, but what am I going to do with a brick and a gift card?" Ali asked curiously.

"You're going to give the brick back to me, because I didn't want you guessing what was inside and I don't want you to throw it at me again, and the gift card is to get you some clothes that fit."

Ali threw up her hands in despair. "I have clothes that fit! Look at what I'm wearing now!"

Rossi laughed at her. "Ali, that's Emily's favorite shirt. Even I know that, and I care less about clothes than a color blind monkey. And your jeans? They're ripped, faded, too short, and way too baggy. The boyfriend jean look is not your friend." The team turned to look at him, mouths hanging partially open. Rossi shrugged. "I had three ex-wives who insisted on taking me shopping on a daily basis. Call it karma for suggesting we get married in jeans."

JJ shook her head and handed Ali an bulging envelope. Ali opened it, and found many more gift certificates to many more stores. "Surprise? Morgan and Reid donated as well!" JJ said weakly. She knew Ali hated shopping.

Ali glared at her wordlessly as Garcia handed her the next package. "This one's from me, Angelface."

Ali opened the package. In it, she found a new MacBook Pro. Ali smiled for the first time that day. "Thanks Garcia! You're officially my favorite member of the team." Ali shot a pointed glance towards JJ and Emily, who stared at the ground.

Hotch and Rossi passed her the rest of her presents, and Ali sighed before finishing what she started.

* * *

"Finally! I thought we would never finish." Ali sighed, uncrossing her long legs before standing up.

JJ looked at her guiltily. "Also, one more thing..."

Ali glared at her. "What?"

"Garcia managed to give us tomorrow off, if you're up to hitting the mall then."

"Jennifer! Why would you do this to me?" Ali complained.

Emily smiled. "Ali, look on the bright side. You get to spend the night with me, Garcia, and JJ, and we can do our nails and other girly stuff!"

"Didn't you guys already torture me enough with the clothes!" Ali yelped indignantly, frowning again.

"Careful buttercup! You'll get wrinkle lines if you keep that up!" Garcia advised.

Ali smiled slowly, and JJ felt a pit of dread forming in her stomach. _The calm before the storm_, she thought quietly.

"Alright. I'll be good, and won't run away screaming. But one condition."

"Name it!" Emily said eagerly.

"You guys bring me on your next case. I am a full agent now." JJ looked at Hotch, who was deep in thought.

Finally, he nodded. "Yes. That will work quite well."

Ali grinned at JJ. "Let's get going then! Don't want to be late!" Ali started running towards the door.

"Hold on!" Morgan, the only one fast enough to catch her, grabbed Ali and hauled her back, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Your end of the deal first, little girl."

Ali grinned playfully, happy she got what she wanted. "Fine. I give in. When do we start?"

The whole team seemed to gasp at the same time. "Morgan, go throw her in the car before she changes her mind!" Emily screamed. "I've got the presents! Now run!"

Ali felt Morgan's long strides cover the ground until the cold air nipped her face in the parking garage. He stopped next to Emily's car, and they waited for her and Garcia to show up.

They could hear Garcia's yells all the way down the stairwell, probably screaming at Rossi or Reid, or whoever was unlucky enough to be standing closest to Ali's new computer, and was now the official Penelope-Garcia-present-carrier.

Sure enough, Rossi emerged first, holding the computer. Garcia followed him, screaming unintelligible things at him. Meekly, Emily and JJ followed.

Morgan sighed, and Ali heard the click of the unlock button on the car. He dumped her in the backseat, and ran away before Garcia could put him to work. "Thanks for the lift!" Ali called out sarcastically, but Morgan couldn't hear her. Ali shook her head before sitting back, and preparing herself for the unimaginable tornado of fashion that was soon to follow.

_"When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life." - John Lennon_


	7. Chapter 7

_"Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could." - Louise Edrich_

Pain. All Ali could feel was pain. And fear. The old nightmares that would cause her to wake up bathed in a sheen of cold sweat every night had returned with a vengeance. Only this was not a nightmare. This was real. Ali could feel the adrenaline pumping through her body, a jolt of energy to her sleepy mind. She was in a dark room. Trapped, with nowhere to go. It was Grace's room. It was the room where she found her baby sister dead, and where her killer later trapped and raped her.

Ali saw a blurry shape come up next to her. "Don't worry sweetheart. The drugs will wear off in a few hours. Long enough for me to do exactly what I need to do."

Ali knew his voice. She would know it anywhere. "Who are you?" she croaked out.

The man gave her a wolfish grin. "Well, you'll just have to find that out, won't you, Alison? After all, where's the fun in me telling you everything?"

Ali took her last bit of energy, and spit in his face. He growled. "Why you little bitch! You'll pay dearly for that, let me tell you. You and your pretty face. Has anyone ever told you that you look nothing like your family? At least not when I saw them. Let's fix that."

A voice cried out, "Stop! Stop it! Don't hurt her!"

Ali felt her whole body shaking at the sound of the familiar pain filled voice. It was Zoey McGregor, her best friend from back when she was famous. She hadn't thought of her in ages.

The man ran over to where Zoey must be, leaving Ali alone for a few seconds. She strained to see what was happening in the dark, but couldn't. That was when the hitting started.

Ali could hear her friend screaming, and every instinct that the drill sergeant had taught her mercilessly in the FBI Academy came back to her. But she couldn't move. All she could do was listen as the horrible screeching, timed with each blow, became quieter, and finally stopped. Ali let out a shaky breath that she didn't realize she was holding. Everyone that Alison loved was dead. And there was nothing she could do to stop him from moving onto Natalie next.

She could hear him walk back to her. His echoey footsteps sounded strangely loud in the cavern, and Ali tried to - and failed - to make her eyes focus on his face. But all she could see was a giant scarlet lump. He wiped his bloody hands on her shirt, and made a point to grope her.

"Where were we?" he asked with a snarl. Replying to himself, he said almost jokingly, "Oh. Now I remember," before punching Ali in the temple. Briefly, she thought that this might be what it felt like to be hungover, with pain shooting through her head, and everything seemed cloudy. He kissed her partially open mouth, hungry for what would happen next, before punching her again. Ali felt herself falling backwards between clouds and blackness, and her last thought was _Maybe it's better that I'm not awake for what happens next._

* * *

"Hotchner."

Hotch listened intently on the voice on the phone, as Rossi, Reid, and Morgan came back to finish up their Poker tournament, while JJ, Emily, Garcia, and Ali were at the mall.

He turned white. "Are you sure? It's not a mistake? She had a lot of fans. It could be one of them -" Hotch was cut off by the loud voice on the other end of the line. "Yes sir. We'll be on our way to interview her."

Morgan looked up. "New case?"

Hotch nodded, still a pasty white color. "Ali's in the hospital, and can't remember what happened. He's back. And he turned her back to Alison. The media found out where she is, and are looking for her like crazy. We've been holding them off so far, but she's not stable. She needs us there."

Morgan whispered, "No. It can't be. Please, God, no... not again."

Hotch nodded solemnly. "Get in the car. I'll call JJ and Prentiss. They will need to be there."

"Aren't you coming, Hotch?" Morgan asked.

Hotch shook his head. "I have paperwork to fill out, and our next case to pull files on. We have to catch this bastard. For Ali."

Rossi stepped forward. "I'll help."

Reid joined him. "So will I."

Morgan turned around, and rushed to his car, stopping only to call JJ and Prentiss.

* * *

"Alison? Open your eyes. Now." The voice was commanding, but nothing could make Ali face the horrors of the world again. All she wanted to do was die. Finally stop hurting everyone around her, finally end this nightmare once and for all.

"Ali? Open your eyes. Please." Ali closed her eyes even tighter, trying to ward off the evils of the world. She felt safe here, but she couldn't trust anything. Not anymore.

Emily's voice screamed, "Natalie! Just open your eyes, dammit!" Ali knew she had to obey her. She opened one eye slowly, as if it could help get rid of the evils in the world. The first thing she saw was JJ's concerned face.

"Ali? Are you okay?" Ali shook her head. "What did he do? Did he hurt you?" Ali nodded. "Speak. What happened?"

"He did it again. He said that he wanted me to live, knowing that he had a part of me." Ali said, sounding very much like the child she still was. And she looked even more like a child than she did before, with her newly darkened hair and blue eyes again. It looked unnatural. Beautiful, but not like Natalie Montgomery's natural beauty. Beautiful, like Hollywood's overdone version of Alison Campbell. JJ wanted to scream when she realized what this sick bastard had done. He had turned her back into Alison. To try and help calm herself down, JJ asked, "What do you remember? Anything?"

"No. I'm sorry, but he drugged me. I think it was Rohypnol."

JJ nodded. "We'll get a blood test. Until then, see what you can remember, but we're probably not going to have any luck." She spoke to Ali like a fellow agent, not a victim, a fact that was not lost on Emily or Ali.

Ali smiled. "I will. So what's for lunch? I'm starving."

JJ and Emily laughed, as Emily's cell phone rang. She grabbed it, still laughing as she said, "Prentiss." The voice on the other end only spoke for a minute before Emily visibly straightened up, and put on her most serious and diplomatic face. "Yes sir. Doing very well now, and she should be released soon into our custody." She listened for another moment before replying, "No, she has not regained any memories yet, but we have not exhausted all opportunities."

JJ and Ali, both eavesdropping on Emily's conversation, both glared at her for different reasons. As soon as she flipped her phone shut, JJ and Ali started screaming. Emily held up her hands in a gesture of defeat, and said, "Whoa! I'm sorry, but that was the Director of the FBI."

In the ensuing silence, you could have heard a pin drop. Finally, JJ was the first to get over her shock. "The Director of the FBI?"

Emily nodded, still shocked. "He said that this was a high profile case, and he wanted it to be gone as soon as possible."

JJ shook her head, whistling. "Wow. Hear that, Ali? You're officially famous."

Ali didn't smile this time. "Quite frankly, I don't care. What was the possibility that we haven't tried? I have to remember what happened."

Emily paused, looking at JJ for permission to tell Ali. JJ nodded slightly, giving her permission. "Hypnotism, Ali. We could put you in a trance, and see if that will help. But you have to know the risks. Your mind is blacking out for a reason. What happened to you in that room, you might not want to know. But once you remember, you can never forget. Do you still want to do this?" Ali nodded slowly. "Okay. I can have a hypnotist here by tomorrow."

Ali nodded slowly, pondering this rush of information. "Thank you. Thank you both so much."

JJ reached out and touched Ali's shoulder, something Ali would have bitten her head off for doing three years ago. "Don't worry, kiddo. We're going to help you as much as we can. And even if this doesn't work, you're still our Ali."

Ali nodded. "I know. After all, the smartest thing I have ever heard was a quote by Mae West. Every night before bed, I would tuck in Grace and tell her, "_You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough._"


	8. Chapter 8

_"My favorite things in life don't cost any money. It's really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time." - Steve Jobs_

_"_Close your eyes, Alison. Take yourself back to the mall. You were with Emily and JJ. Am I correct?"

Ali nodded at the hypnotist, Dr. Watson. She already knew that, though. Emily had told her. Earlier they had told her that they would go back to the last memory Ali had of that day, and work their way forward. "Good. Now you're back at the mall. I'm going to count back from ten. Nine. Eight."

_Ali could feel herself get sleepy. _

"Seven. Six. Five."

_The world was getting darker. _

"Four. Three. Two."

_Everything was a thick black, the blackness you can not see, but could touch and feel it._

"One."

_Ali felt her memory go back to the mall. Back to the day when she thought nothing could go wrong._

**(Flashback)**

"Ali! You look so cute!" JJ said enthusiastically at the outfit Ali had tried on. Ali looked down at the jeans and fluffy pink top that Garcia had picked out.

"It's so... unique!" Ali squeaked.

"I know! I have one just like it, so we can match! I'm going to go find some more clothes for you to try on." Garcia said cheerfully before walking out of the dressing rooms.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Ali said, "No. No way in hell will I ever wear this in public. I'm going to go try on Emily's outfit, and pray to whatever merciful almighty being that is listening that it is actually meant for a teenager." Ali ran back to the safety of the locked dressing room, and threw off the clothing Garcia gave her. As much as she loved Garcia, her fashion taste left a lot to be improved.

Ali pulled up the über miniskirt laid out in her dressing room, and gasped as all of the air was pushed out of her lungs. She hurriedly tucked in the tight black halter top, and staggered out to see Emily and JJ.

"I love that look for you, Ali! Who knew you had that hidden underneath all of your t-shirts? You look so sexy and gorgeous!" Emily said encouragingly.

Ali said something, but it only came out as a quiet squeak. Emily leaned forward to try and listen. After Ali whispered breathlessly in her ear, she tottered back to the dressing room, looking defeated. "Beauty is pain, Natalie! Don't forget it!" Emily yelled after her.

"What was that about?" JJ asked.

Emily smirked. "She swore at me, my ancestors, my children, and made sure that I wasn't mistaking the children's sizes and the adults sizes, before not so politely informing me that she hated my fashion sense, and would someday get back at me. And all without breathing."

JJ grinned at her friend until she heard the squeak of the dressing room door. Ali walked out. "What do you think?"

JJ squealed. "Ali! You have to get that!"

Ali nodded. She knew she looked good. The tight black halter top that Emily had picked out, with the low jeans that Ali had sensibly grabbed on her way in, looked perfect together. Ali allowed her long dark brown hair to fall naturally down her back, loving how she felt whenWhenever the light would hit it, it would light up in a flair of a red sparks, giving the impression of a living creature, before going back down to its dark brown.

Emily grinned, relishing the opportunity to give Ali another nickname, and joked, "Go change, Sparky. We're going to another store now."

Ali stared cooly at Emily, unfazed, and said, "Sure thing, Milly. One sec." JJ could see that as Ali turned away from Emily, her previously emotionless face started to grin. "Meet you guys in the checkout line."

JJ and Emily walked out of the dressing room. Walking over to the line, Emily started to speak quietly, in contrast to her earlier self. "She's changed so much. Remember when she was a shy little thing who didn't trust anything?"

JJ grinned. "Yes. I also remember when you had morals. Being with this team changes people. Before, I was a confused, sad, person, who had nothing to live for. then I joined the BAU and met... him, and everything changed. My life had a purpose. He helped me figure that out. He was my missing piece. He completed me. Ali reminds me of him, sometimes. They're both so young and innocent, even though they've seen more than most adults."

Emily nodded, agreeing with her, before Ali walked up carrying her new clothes. "Thanks JJ! Thanks Milly!" Emily muttered a string of obscurities under her breath, which Ali chose to diplomatically ignore. "Let's split up to get all of the stores in. You guys take the clothes, and Garcia and I will get shoes. And when I say you guys, I actually mean JJ. Sorry Emily, but I like breathing," Ali said sensibly. JJ nodded, seeing the wisdom int that plan, and said, "Great. Let's meet at the food court at 2, and compare."

Ali grinned before turning around and looking for Garcia. Emily walked up to the cash register with JJ following, both of them happy with what the day was turning out to be.

Ali walked around the store, looking for Garcia, when she felt somebody watching her. She spun around, crouched in a fighting stance, and promptly stood up when she saw only harmless teenage girls. Once of them tapped her friend on the shoulder, and pointed at Ali. The other one laughed. "She should really learn to get contacts at least close to her natural eye color," she sneered, pointedly being loud enough that Ali could hear.

Ali rolled her eyes, and walked away. She wanted to find Garcia, but could feel the eyes still watching her. She turned around, wanting to go tell those girls exactly what she was thinking, but stopped when she saw this time she was being followed by a small guy, absolutely average in looks. "You Natalie?" He said in a dead pan voice. Ali nodded. "Some Garcia lady told me that if you came looking, she went to the Forever 21 store down aways." Ali nodded, annoyed that Garcia didn't tell her in person.

"Thanks. Where is that?"

"Go out of the store, take a left, a right, then a left. Can't miss it."

Ali gave him a star-worthy smile, showing how beautiful she really was. "Thank you so much for passing on the message."

He seemed to be taken aback that such a gorgeous creature was even talking to him. "It was no problem. Hope you two find each other."

Ali nodded at him, before walking out of the store and following his directions. As she walked, she could feel the cold air getting colder. She pulled her warm North Face fleece around her, and put her instincts on high alert. _Something wasn't right, _she thought, just before a masked man jumped out at her. Ali kicked and punched randomly, not able to see in the growing blackness, but the man seemed to be able to anticipate her moves. He pulled out a cloth that reeked with chloroform, and shoved it over Ali's mouth. She tried to scream, but it was useless. She felt herself blacking out, and, in one last attempt, scratched her captors face deep enough to scar. She knew that, although he had overpowered her, she had given him an identifiable feature, and could find him and make him pay when this was over.

Pain. All Ali could feel was pain. And fear. Part of her knew that this was only a dream, but she couldn't go through this again. She knew what was going to happen. Ali wanted to be out of there. She had to leave. That little piece of her mind kept fighting to get out of here. She wanted to go home.

_What's happening? JJ asked. "She should still be under a trance, shouldn't she? Why is she struggling?"_

Ali struggled to get out of this nightmare. She had to.

_"Ms. Jareau, I'm trying my best. Your presence is disturbing her. Please, I have to ask you to leave."_

"JJ?" Ali croaked. Dr. Watson froze. "JJ?"

JJ was at Ali in a minute. "I'm here, honey. Don't worry."

Dr. Watson got over her shock. "Please, Ms. Jareau, leave. If there's any chance of us finishing this, we need to get her back into the trance as soon as possible."

JJ stared at her. "No. We're done here. Thank you for your time." Dr. Watson looked like she was about to speak, but JJ simply said "Out!" and she was gone.

JJ looked at Ali, taking in how pale she was, and how her blueberry eyes popped out over deep shadows. "You remembered?" JJ said gently. Ali nodded. "Are you ready to tell us?" Ali looked sad. Once more, JJ was reminded of how young she was. Despite what the government thought, 18 is not an adult. It is a child. An old child, but in relation to life, many people have not even touched the surface of what they will accomplish in 18 years.

Ali set her jaw in a determined line, and said quietly, "It was dark..."

_"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin." ― Mother Teresa_


	9. Chapter 9

_"Work like you don't need the money, love like your heart has never been broken, and dance like no one is watching"_ - Aurora Greenway

"Hotch, I'm fine. For the last time, just let me go home!" Ali snapped sharply. She was cross after not having slept, with the beeping machines surrounding her keeping her up most of the night.

"Ms. Montgomery, it is not standard procedure to allow a recovering FBI agent to go home before she is discharged, nor is it proper to allow the target of a serial killer to be at their house unprotected. And by protection, I'm talking full blown surveillance cameras, SWAT Teams, and multiple agents that will always be with you. Are we clear?"

Ali nodded her head glumly, and Hotch briefly felt sorry for the young girl. "Natalie, look, as well how would we get 'Alison Campbell' to a safe house without any press noticing? They're on the prowl for you, and JJ still can't find any hair dye that might change you back."

Ali's eyes lit up as an idea came to her. "What if I could find a safe house, and I figured out a plan to get out of here?"

Hotch looked at her sharply. "And got a FBI Agent to stay with you? And not just JJ and Prentiss; I know you've figured out how to make them do things your way."

"Just let me make a quick phone call, and I'll get right back to you on that."

Hotch sighed, knowing things were never going to go his way. "Fine. Quick though. And I mean it."

Ali grinned slyly. She knew things were going to work out in her favor.

* * *

"Relax, Hotch. It will work out. Pinky promise. Now goodnight, sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite."

Ali hung up before she could hear another word of Hotch's worries. She loved the man dearly, but he was a bit of a worrier.

"Ready?" JJ asked her from her position at the head of the cot. Ali almost didn't recognize her in the light blue scrubs she was wearing, complete with a stethoscope hung around her neck.

"Yep."

With that, Ali disconnected the wires that had pained her for so many days, and listened as the machines started a long, loud beep. Morgan, also dressed as a nurse, ran into the room, holding a set of fake paddles. This display was solely for the paparazzi still parked outside, clicking away on their cameras as they looked in on the windows. It was Ali's idea to use them to their advantage. Morgan turned to JJ, and they watched the jagged line of Ali's heartbeat fade into a dead straight line (pardon the pun).

They took her cot, still jostling Ali, who did her best to appear dead, and started down the hallway to the morgue. There, they put her in a body bag, and placed her in an anonymous cremation van. Ali had arranged for a flower truck to meet them at the embalming facility, where they could hitch a ride back to the safehouse. If all went well, this would be a foolproof plan. If it didn't... well, Ali could think of worse alternatives. She only then realized how tired she was. For once, there were no beeping machines, she was safe, and the gentle rocking of the van felt so relaxing. Promising herself she would only take a catnap, Ali fell fast asleep.

* * *

"Natalie?"

Ali woke up suddenly at the sound of the voice. "Huh?"

"We're here."

Ali nodded, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Oh. Thanks for letting us stay here."

Spencer Reid nodded. "It's my pleasure that I could help you. After all, I have my own place, but my mother outfitted this place for a nuclear attack before she went to the mental hospital, so there's nothing else I can do with it."

Ali nodded, not sure how to reply. Luckily, JJ spoke, saving her. "Thank you, Reid."

"Your welcome. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to go set up my computer." And with those words, Reid left the room.

Prentiss laughed once Reid was out of earshot. "JJ, you looked like a deer caught in the headlights."

JJ stared at her. "Really? Was it that obvious?"

Ali and Emily both nodded. "JJ, you looked like you had just walked into the house of your ex-boyfriend by accident, and caught him with his new girlfriend," Ali stated simply. Little did she know that this wasn't so far from the truth. Back when she had first moved in, JJ and Emily decided not to tell Ali about her relationship with Reid. Everything would just get so complicated, and all of them deserved a fresh start.

"Natalie, thank you. JJ, just go set up your room." JJ nodded and left, knowing that Prentiss was giving her this opportunity so that she could go and think in quiet.

After JJ left, Emily decided that she would also go and figure out where she was supposed to live for the next little bit, and left Ali all on her own to go and explore this mansion of a house.

Walking around the lengthy hallway, Ali heard cursing coming from the far room on the right. Following the noise, she walked in and saw Reid fighting with a lot of cables and wires. "Spencer? Do you need help?"

Reid panted, trying to compose himself before the beautiful young girl before him. "No thank you, but thanks for the offer." Ali nodded, before watching what he was doing more closely.

"Spence? You do know that you're connecting the power cable to the sound wire, right?" He started to mutter, before Ali pushed him out of the way. "Here. Let me help."

Ali grabbed the wires from Reid, and in a matter of minutes had the computer up and running. "Natalie, how did you do that?" Reid asked curiously.

Ali laughed. "I just connected the wires. Garcia color codes them so red goes to orange, orange to yellow, yellow to green, ect. She says it's so a hacker will never be able to get it, but I think she just likes the colors."

Reid nodded, puzzled. "Well, thank you for enlightening me. Are you settling in well?"

Ali nodded. "Yeah. Thank you so much for letting us use your place." Reid nodded, still preoccupied with something on his mind. "Spencer? Are you okay?"

Reid turned white. "Huh? Who said I wasn't okay? I'm fine. See? Just as good as a horse."

Ali shook her head. "No way. Spill, Spence."

Reid sighed. "There's this girl I like. And I can't date her. She's just so... so amazing. You know how in Phantom of the Opera, Erik loves Christine, but they could never be together because he is who he is? Well, that's how I feel."

Ali nodded, trying to process what Reid was saying. "So you're saying you're a disfigured musical genius who loves a girl so much he will kill for her and kidnap her before dying of a broken heart after you release her to make her happy? Or are we talking the musical?"

Reid laughed. "Maybe not so dramatic. But yeah, like that. Sort of."

Ali smiled. "Well, why do you care? You obviously love her; what could stand in the way? Does she feel the same way?"

"I don't know. I think so, but it's been so long. I don't want to scare her off again."

"Have you tried just flirting? I know Morgan's tried to teach you, but maybe I can help you more."

Reid nodded. "Maybe. Thank you, Natalie."

Ali smiled. "You're welcome. And Spencer? Don't call me Natalie. The only people on the team who do that on a regular basis are Hotch and Strauss, and that's only to annoy me."

"Okay then. Thank you, Ali."

_"There is no greater invitation to love than loving first" _- St. Augustine

A/N: So now that the story's a bit more in detail, what do you think? Do you like it? what do you want to see happen?


	10. Chapter 10

_"It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone." _- Rose Kennedy

"Help! Help me! He's got me! He killed my family!"

"Ali! You're safe. Honey, nobody's going to get you. We have you. Shhh..." JJ tried to grab Ali's shoulders, but she wasn't cooperating. Ali twisted out of her grasp, gasping for air. Sweat was pouring off her face, and the whites of her eyes were flashing.

"He's going to kill me! No!"

JJ grabbed Ali's shoulders, straddling her between her legs. She shoved a knee in her back, saying through gritted teeth, "Natalie, wake up before I actually hurt you."

Deep in the back of her mind, Ali knew that the voice meant no harm. But she couldn't overcome her instinct that had kept her alive so far. She screamed, "Don't touch me!" before slapping out in blind fear. She found her target, and JJ let go of Ali and grabbed her now throbbing eye.

Ali finally realized that something was wrong, and, as quickly as it was there, came back to her senses. "Oh my god! JJ! Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to -"

JJ cut her off. "I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It was a nightmare. It used to happen a lot, but I thought I was over with them. I guess not."

JJ nodded, remembering the nights when she would hear Ali scream out for her parents or her sister. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Ali managed a watery grin, although still pale and shaky. "Yep. Just tired. Good night."

JJ mumbled a good night to Ali as she walked out the door, the events of the night catching up to her at once and causing her to miss her warm bed.

_Ali almost wished that JJ had stayed. If she stayed, she might have seen what was happening to Ali, and could have helped. She almost wished she wasn't such a great actress, and that someone could see beneath her exterior. If JJ had stayed, then Ali might have broken down and asked for help, instead of trying to deal with it on her own, like always. Even though she finally had the team, the problems that plauged her as Alison still came back to haunt her. And they weren't going away._

* * *

Ali grimaced. "Spencer, how many times have I told you not to start talking exact numbers? It's weird. For a genius, it's extremely hard to get the lesson through your thick skull."

"23 times." Ali glared at him. "I'm sorry, Ali! But the numbers... They're just so beautiful and clear."

Ali laughed. "Cute, Spence. But think of your mystery girl. Try something interesting to her." Spencer nodded, pondering the depths and questions of the female mind.

"And Spence? You need a haircut and a new look badly."

Reid looked at his sweater vest and khakis. "What do you mean?"

Ali nodded. "Exactly. We'll work on that tomorrow. But now, I'm starving, and I bet JJ and Emily are wondering where we are."

Reid scrambled out of his chair, and ran towards the door. Ali laughed, and followed him to the kitchen, where they met up with JJ and Emily.

"Hey. Any news?" Ali asked JJ curiously.

"Not much, although the rest of the team is coming by for lunch," JJ replied.

Ali started to laugh hysterically. JJ, Emily, and Reid exchanged glances. "Um... Ali? Are you okay?" Emily asked, extremely concerned about this display of behavior from her usually grim young friend.

Ali nodded, finally able to speak. "Yep. But you do realize that you need food to serve them, right? I mean, I'm no expert, but usually that's how these things go."

The adults exchanged nervous glances, their whole demeanor telling Ali that they forgot that little fact. "I think we have some ingredients for lasagna," Reid said nervously. "Does anyone know how to cook it?"

Saving JJ and Emily the embarrassment of their meager cooking skills, Ali stepped forward. "I can. One day, Rossi was bored and he taught me Mama Rossi's recipe. He was so right in knowing it would come in handy."

Ali started to walk towards the fridge, examining the poor food selection. "Hey guys? I could use some help." The three profilers jumped into action.

"I've got the sauce!" JJ said.

"I can chop the tomatoes!" Emily called out, grabbing the big knives.

Reid simply stood there, with no place to go. "I think I can help chop tomatoes. Possibly."

Ali shook her head. "No way. If you chop off a finger, Rossi will kill me. Go help JJ with the sauce."

Reid had no choice but to follow her orders, and walked over to the big bubbling sauce pan with JJ. "What do you need help with?"

She looked at him, her outside demeanor cool and polished, but inside, her true feelings bubbled, like the water in front of her. Most prominent was the realization that this was the closest she had been to her ex-lover in three years. But she couldn't ignore the sparks that just told her this felt so right, Strauss and her policies be dammed. Little did she know that Reid felt the same way.

* * *

"Bella! You made my mama's lasagna!" Rossi exclaimed as he walked through the door with Garcia's computers, Garcia herself only a few feet behind giving him dirty looks every few seconds.

Morgan was next through the door, with Hotch close behind him. "Smells awesome, Ali."

Ali grinned. "Thanks Morgan. But, you would eat it anyway, wouldn't you?"

He nodded and laughed. "Anything for you, Little Girl." Ali playfully stuck her tongue out at him, as he did the same to her.

Hotch walked in, followed by a man who Ali had never seen before. Immediately, she was in defensive mode, her hand brushing casually against her hip where her gun hang. However, as much as her reaction had been defense, JJ, Emily, and Reid all treated this stranger with respect. Puzzled, Ali looked to Hotch for clarification on who this interloper was. "Sir, meet Special Agent Natalie Montgomery. Special Agent Montgomery, meet David Madison, Director of the FBI."

If it wasn't so disrespectful, Ali swore her jaw could have fallen open. The Director of the FBI was in her safe house! Then it really hit her. The Director of the FBI was in her safe house. Something was wrong.

"Agent Montgomery?" Ali blinked, realizing Hotch had been trying to get her attention for the last few seconds.

"Yes, Agent Hotchner?" They were all on their best behavior for the Director, trying to give him no reason to prolong his stay.

"The director would like to speak with you. Privately."

Ali nodded her head, her throat dry. The Director beckoned her to a small room just off the main hallway. Ali followed him, scared of what would happen next.

When they had heard the barely audible click of the shutting behind them, the Director spoke. "Agent Montgomery, there's no need to act like you're scared of me. Please look at me."

Ali stared into his face, feeling the power radiating from the man in front of her. However, she was shocked to discover that she was only a few inches shorter than he, and that, judging by the flabby remains of muscle on his body, could easily take him in a fight. He was a director chosen for his thinking skills, for sure.

"Thank you. As you know, you seem to be the pawn in this case. We have connected this killer to seventeen international homicides, three of which have occurred in the United States. To date, his pattern was to rape and kill the mother and children before torturing the father to death." Ali wanted to block out her eardrums. Out of all of the terrible things she had to hear, this was the worst. Ignoring her, the Director continued. "However, your case was different. He killed your parents and sister first, and then raped only you before attempting to kill you."

Ali felt disembodied, like they were talking about somebody else. "The target was me. The MO changed."

The Director nodded. "Precisely. And after he came after you again, we know that you're not safe where you are. He knows, Agent Montgomery. He knows where you are, and who you've become. And there's only one way he could know."

Ali's pale skin became albino white as realization hit her. So softly it could have been mistaken for a breath, she said, "We have a leak in the FBI."

_"Everyone suffers at least one bad betrayal in their lifetime. It's what unites us. The trick is not to let it destroy your trust in others when that happens. Don't let them take that from you." _- Sherrilyn Kenyon

A/N Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! I had it almost finished, and then our wifi was down and it only got back on around midnight last night. Please comment or PM me with what you thought about this chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

_"Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing."_ - Harriet Braiker

That night at dinner, Ali was even more jumpy than usual. After she had almost knocked over the Ravioli for the fourth time, Emily asked, "Ali, are you okay?"

The table became silent as the team all held their breath, waiting for Ali's answer. "She's fine. Just tired, right Special Agent Montgomery?" The Director said, trying to keep his meeting with Ali a secret.

Ali nodded weakly. "May I be excused? Please?"

JJ nodded. "Do you feel okay?"

Ali nodded, not trusting her voice. She bent her head, so her still raven black hair fell over her bright eyes. Slowly, she backed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her room. When she was safely in her own space, she ran into her bathroom and grabbed a razor. With a little pop, she expertly unclipped the sharp blade from the plastic body. She held it over her left breast, where no one would ever notice the scars. Or had ever noticed the scars. Because scratched into her chest was the word Perfect, in white scarring, traced over in a thin line of scarlet from last night.

Perfect. Such a sweet, innocent word. What everyone - herself included - had wanted to be from the moment they were born.

Ali closed her eyes, and remembered the screams of Zoey as she lost her life. All because she was friends with such a failure that could have led her right into a trap. That led her to her death. One by one, the victims flashed through Ali's mind. Grace. Sweet, innocent Gracie, whose worst sin was to hate their father for hitting them until they were broken. Her weak mother, who, although she worked Ali to her breaking point, had only ever wanted the best for her daughter.

Ali held the blade over her breast, and proceeded to trace over the words until scarlet bled down her chest, staining her ivory skin red. But Ali didn't - couldn't - care. She could play Natalie, the sweet innocent young FBI Agent, but on the inside, she was still Alison, the troubled young starlet.

* * *

"Hey Spence, think fast!" JJ threw the plastic tupperware full of Ravioli at Reid, who, to his credit, simply stepped out of the way so the container flew into the fridge he was standing next to. JJ and Reid stared at each other, both hiding identical guilty grins, as Rossi came thundering into the room.

"Jennifer Marie Jareau! Spencer Thomas Reid! Did you spill Mama Rossi's Ravioli? She would be turning in her grave if she saw this." Rossi stared at both of them, waiting for the first signs of cracking from either.

"I have to go... ummm..." JJ wracked her brain for an idea. "Fold my laundry! All of it. Shirts, pants, socks, underwear, shoes, suits, dresses - "

Reid cut her off. "JJ, let's just tell him the truth. We were trying to take the rest of it without anyone noticing, so we could eat it ourselves."

Rossi reddened slightly. "Well, that's perfectly understandable. Just clean it up before Hotch notices."

JJ eyed Reid, whose face remained impassive. "We will. Thank you, Rossi."

As soon as he left, JJ let out a shrieking peal of laughter. Reid looked at her. "Um... Jennifer? Is there something I'm missing?"

She nodded, gasping for breath. "You... You've learned how to speak Rossi!" Reid nodded.

"I also speak Russian, French, German, and English."

JJ flashed a grin at him as she walked over to the kitchen sink, grabbing the soap and two sponges. "Here you go, Mr. Genius. And this time I won't throw it at you." Reid nodded, missing the joke completely. Sighing, JJ walked over and started to vigorously scrub the floor.

Reid dropped down lightly next to her and tripped on the bucket of dirty water, spilling it on her. "Hey!" JJ squealed. She flicked a little bit of water back at him, and he grinned before throwing some red tomato sauce into her hair. They laughed as they finished cleaning up the rest of the mess.

"Here. Give me your shirt and I can run all of the dirty clothes together," JJ said. Reid nodded, and began pulling off his shirt. "Spence! Not like that. I meant go change. In you room."

Reid smiled. "Sorry."

JJ felt her heart melting all over again for her clueless but adorably sweet ex-boyfriend. Before she realized it, she was leaning into him as he was to her, and their lips met. The kiss was not like their old passionate kisses, with hormones raging at every surface, but was sweeter. JJ found herself remembering all of the things about him that she loved. How her head fit into that little space on her shoulder perfectly, and how his lips were almost shaped for hers. How, even on her worst days, she could do no wrong in Reid's eyes. How he would do anything for her.

Finally, they broke apart. Reid looked shocked, a look that undoubtedly mirrored JJ's.

"We shouldn't have... I'm sorry. I should go." JJ turned out on her heel, leaving a brokenhearted Reid to contemplate how everything had gone downhill so quickly.

* * *

_Today I did it again. I'm not sure if people would even notice if I was gone any more. Nobody understands me. I am a mystery. I have beat death not once, but twice. And in return, He has taken away my friends. My family. My life. What's next? Some days I wonder if it would just be easier to kill myself and be done with it. To never have to go back to that stupid hospital, and learn who he has killed this time. I would be done for good. Forever in peace, back with Gracie. What's so wrong with that? Got to go, hear JJ coming up the stairs._

_Forever,_

_Natalie (aka Alison)_

Ali closed the journal, and stuck it in the corner of her mattress as the footsteps she knew belonged to JJ rushed past her room. She thought she heard sniffling or crying, but as she listed closer all she could hear was Emily talking. Shrugging it off, she turned off the light and fell fast asleep.

_"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." - _Marilyn Monroe


	12. Chapter 12

_ "The course of true love never did run smooth." _- William Shakespeare

"What!" Ali shouted, hardly believing her ears.

Reid smiled guiltily. "I have a date tonight. The daughter of my mother's friend. Her name is Sophie, and she's supposed to be smart and funny and perfect." He said it all in a rush, appearing to hardly contain his excitement.

"But your makeover... Has she seen you yet?"

Reid shook his head. "We're waiting until the date."

Ali's eyes sparkled. "Then I guess we'll just have to give you a Hollywood worthy makeover in six hours. You get Emily and JJ, and I'll heat up the water."

With that, Ali ran off, leaving Reid to figure out how he would tell his true love that he was going on a date with someone else. Sighing, he went to go talk to JJ.

Walking down the long endless hallway, Reid wondered why they had to kiss. Why they had to complicate their lives with any more romance, and couldn't just be friends. But then he remembered how perfect they were. How much they fit together, like pieces in a puzzle. And then he arrived at her door.

Opening it, he said, "JJ? We need to talk. Please."

JJ turned around. Smiling wanly, she said, "I knew you would be coming. I overheard you talking on the phone last night to your mom. I know all about Sadie."

"Sophie."

"Whatever. But I wish you two the best of luck. This is what's for the best." Her eyes plainly said _Go away_.

And with that, JJ shut the door in Reid's face. Although Reid thought it was because he annoyed her so badly, JJ actually did it so he couldn't see the tears start to slide down her cheeks.

* * *

"Hey Morgan! Check out Reid!" Ali called over to her big friend who just walked through the door. He looked to where Ali was pointing, and his jaw almost dropped.

"Boy, you're gonna have the ladies hanging off of you someday."

The stranger who was, yet wasn't Reid, looked up and flashed Morgan a grin. "Actually, my IQ makes them nervous, because they cannot understand me the way they can most people, and it triggers a sense to stay away from me because many psychopaths are like that."

Ali looked at Reid sternly, and he took on the look of a wounded soldier. "I mean... uh... thank you." Morgan nodded, amazed as he made a mental note to make Ali teach him how she did that.

From behind them, a colorful spot shouted, "Derek Morgan! You better get back here before I whip your gorgeous behind all the way to Europe and back."

Morgan paled. "Comin', baby girl." He winked at Ali, and whispered, "Duty calls." She laughed, and watched him run over to Garcia, only to stop when he saw the number of computers (aka extremely heavy things) she had with her.

"Baby girl!"

"Angelcakes!" Garcia called, mimicking Morgan. "It's time you work off that milkshake on the way up. Get going." Morgan put on a resigned face as Garcia rushed forward to embrace Ali.

"Natty!"

Ali smiled. Only Garcia was allowed to call her that. Otherwise, she would bite anybody else's head off (as Morgan found out one interesting afternoon).

"Penny! How are you? How's the outside? Anything new?"

"No. It's boring without you guys. Too peaceful, and not enough drama."

Ali laughed. "True that. Any news?"

"We might want to move inside to discuss that one, Ms. Montgomery." Ali shaded her eyes as she looked into the brilliantly white teeth of the Director.

"Yes sir. Right away, sir." Ali pulled on Garcia's arm, all the whole trying to send mental ESPN to her friend to behave... well... normally in front of the man who was in charge of their jobs.

Garcia walked behind Ali. Both Ali and the director could feel that Garcia wanted to ask them something desperately. Finally, before Ali strangled her, Garcia asked curiously, "Sir? Why do you always wear those sunglasses?"

In reply, the Director simply chuckled, as Ali silently thanked which ever god was listening for the Director's good nature.

* * *

"Ready Spence?" Ali asked.

"Yeah." Reid nodded, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach.

"Don't worry, Reid. We've got your back. Right, Al Pal?" Morgan said, teasing Ali.

Ignoring him, Ali said, "You can do this, Reid." Right on time, the doorbell rang. "Go Spencer. You'll be great." Reid flashed them a nervous grin before walking to the door. JJ ran down the stairs as he opened the door, and Ali could only swear (mentally, as Morgan wasn't against a little one on one wrestling when he thought Ali needed to be taken down a notch) as JJ came face to face with Sophie. She smiled pleasantly.

"Hello! I'm Jennifer, and you must be Sadie."

"Sophie," she corrected.

"Right! Anyway, Spencer, have fun and be back before midnight or Rossi might accidentally shoot you and Sylvie."

Reid opened his mouth to correct her, but finally decided against it. Finally turning to his beautiful date, he looked at her for the first time. Her long chocolate brown hair was smooth and silky, and framed a small button nose, rosebud lips, and slanty topaz eyes set above high cheekbones. Although dressed conservatively, she obviously had a body that belonged on the cover of a swimsuit magazine. But that spark was missing. Was this what his life had come to without JJ?

* * *

"But then I told him, 'No, sir, that wasn't a neuron, it was boron!' and he accidentally made the lab explode. But we're alright."

Sophie had just finished telling Reid about her class at college, and Reid couldn't understand why he couldn't like her. She was smart, funny, and got him better than almost anybody else. Almost. But JJ told better jokes. JJ, who looked like a delicate flower, yet could kick anybody's ass. JJ, with her beautiful blond hair and blue eyes. Sophie was pretty, but her eyes were Topaz, a useless stone you could buy at any jewelry store. JJ's were living, forever changing colors with her mood, and sparkling with life and laughter.

"Spencer? Hello?" Reid zoned back in. "Tell me about your colleagues. What are they like?"

Reid smiled, thinking about every word before he spoke. "First, there's Hotch. He's serious, but once you get to know him, he's a great guy to be around. Rossi is so sarcastic, it's hard to tell what he thinks, but he has enough passion for all of us put together. Morgan thinks of us as little siblings - a pain in the ass, but we know he loves us. Emily is special in her own way, even though she tries not to show it. She knows more about other countries and politics than all of us put together. And Natalie? Well, even though she's gotten better at talking to others, she will put on a brave face to face the world. When you crack through a wall on that girl and think you may finally get to know her, you find you've only gotten to a new wall. The only one who's connected with her is JJ." Reid's eyes became dreamy once more at the mention of JJ, and Sophie knew she was once more forgotten in his mind.

"Spencer?"

He shook himself back to the present once more. "Huh?"

She mentally made the tough decision before quietly saying, "I can't do this. You're a great guy, but you're in love with this JJ. You need to realize that."

Reid was speechless. "What? How could you tell?"

"Seriously!? You've been anywhere but here for the last hour, and the only time you seemed to actually care was when talking about JJ. I may be a genius, but even an idiot could have realized that."

"So...? Do you want me to drop you off at your house then?" Reid said timidly. He only wanted this disastrous night to be over with.

"I drive," Sophie said confidently. Her mother, who had already met Reid, warned her against his driving skills.

Reid sighed as he signaled the waiter for their check. What was he going to do now?

* * *

When Reid got home, the house appeared to be empty. He sighed, and went to the kitchen to get a bottle of whiskey. This had been one hell of a night.

As he turned on the light in the kitchen, he heard some sound in the dining room next door. Reid grabbed the whiskey, and walked over to the door. As he opened it, he saw JJ, with her long blonde hair hanging around her face. She was crying at the table. Reid stepped forward timidly and said, "Jen?"

She turned towards him, her eyes red. "Spencer? I thought you were still out with Sidney."

"Sophie."

"Whatever."

"She helped me realize that I didn't really love her. That the person I loved was in front of me the whole time."

JJ looked at him. "Who?"

He stepped forward. "You. I love you, and I always will. I don't care what any stupid policy says, I just want you. But do you want me? If you don't, then I swear I will just leave and never bother you again. But I have to know."

"Oh Spence... I don't care either. I love you."

And hearing her say those words brought tears to Reid's eyes. They leaned forward, and kissed each other. Half choking on his rising desire, he asked, "Are you sure?"

As a reply, she trailed her hands down to his pants, and unbuttoned the top button. Finally, Reid stopped thinking and succumbed to his desire.

_"I could not tell you if I loved you the first moment I saw you, or if it was the second or third or fourth. But I remember the first moment I looked at you walking toward me and realized that somehow the rest of the world seemed to vanish when I was with you."_ - Cassandra Clare

**A/N Hey! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! LOL I feel like I'm taking forever to get these chapters out:) So what did you think? Do you like JJ and Reid so early in the story? Or did you want more drama between them? There will be a lot more happening, but I just had to get them together:) On a different note, do you guys know any amazing Criminal Minds FanFictions? I'm new here, so I haven't read that many amazing stories, so I'd like to know what your favorites are:).**


	13. Chapter 13

"_The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved."_ - Victor Hugo

That morning, JJ woke up feeling more sore than she had in a long time. She remembered glimpses of the night before, shot through by her own pleasure. Getting up, she saw her adorable boyfriend still asleep on the pillows. Sometime in the night, they had moved from the dining room to Reid's room. Probably so Ali wouldn't find them come morning. Oh crap. Ali.

What would she say to this? In her eyes, this was almost a betrayal of her trust. Not the dating Reid part. That she would get over with time. But the fact that JJ had lied to her for years. That, she would never forgive. The lie itself wasn't great, but what it represented was. JJ knew how Ali's mind worked. First, she would absorb the information. Then, she would realize that JJ lied to her. And then? Well, she would wonder what else JJ had kept a secret from her.

Making up her mind, JJ decided that it would be easier and less complicated to not tell Ali until they were out of danger. One thing at a time. Of course, she would tell her sooner or later, but later was the option she was going to choose.

As she stood contemplating her decision, she didn't realize Reid had woken up. He snuck behind her, and put his hands over her flat stomach. JJ jumped at first, but then relaxed into her lover behind her. He softly kissed her hair, and she allowed herself to go to that portion of her mind where all that existed was her, Reid, and their joint ecstasy.

* * *

"We are looking for a white male, approximately late 30's to mid 40's."

"He is average height, average weight, and blends in with a crowd."

"He has a job, and has a family, including two daughters, the elder having dark hair and blue eyes."

It was Ali's turn to step forward. "He most likely has a high ranking job, and is above average intelligence. He is dangerous and, when in pursuit of his target, will stop at nothing until he catches them. His known target is Alison Campbell, age 18, and in protective services. Until he can catch her, he will go after similar targets, serving as a substitution, but he will never be fully satisfied until he has her. Thank you for your help and cooperation."

Rossi signaled to the cameraman, and he turned off the camera in front of them, skyping their words to the Washington Police Department.

Ali scratched at her auburn wig, which helped serve as her disguise over her still dyed hair. As well, she wore thick glasses, and her turquoise eyes were their normal unusual shade. Dressed conservatively in a fitted blazer, crisp white shirt, and black skirt with low pumps, she bore no resemblance to the star of her past.

She walked back to the safety of the house, where she could take off her uncomfortable wig. She became aware of someone following her, and she turned around suddenly, only to see that it was Emily.

"Hey."

"Hey. Nice job on the conference. Was that the first one you closed?"

Ali nodded. Usually the profiler most familiar to the case would close. Of course, no one argued that she was not the closest to this particular case.

They walked through the door, and immediately Ali pulled off the wig. Emily laughed. "Uncomfortable?"

"Yes! And these bobby pins feel like they are stabbing my skull." Ali pulled out a handful, and winced as she felt only a small area of her head in comparison feel better. Emily grabbed a hank of her hair, and ran her fingers through, getting all of the small shiny bits of metal out of the stiff raven hair. "Remind me to never let Garcia near my hair and the hairspray again. Between that and the dye, my hair might go into a chemically induced coma."

"Speaking of which, has JJ found a way to turn your hair back to its normal color? I feel bad calling you Sparky when the fire's hidden under the coal."

"Yeah, well there's the upside. I still hate that nickname, Milly."

Emily sighed. She hated that name. "Point taken."

"But JJ said that as soon as she can get this fancy stuff from Europe or whatever then we'll be good. Apparently, the UnSub got some weird expensive kind from Italy or whatever that will stay in for a year without treatment. It's just a pain to get back out."

Ali and Emily sat for a moment in comfortable silence, both trying to get the rest of the bobby pins out of Ali's hair. Finally, Ali broke the silence. "So how is JJ? She seems different when we're here. She was really sad at first, but this morning she was so happy and cheerful."

Emily regarded Ali for a second. She knew exactly what had happened, but there was no way she would tell the younger girl. JJ could do that when it suited her, because either way it would take Ali some time to get used to it. "PMS?" She offered weakly. Ali thought for a second, and then nodded her head.

"Yeah. Maybe."

Emily knew that Ali didn't believe her, but oh well. Not much could be done about that short of telling her the truth. And telling her the truth could be dangerous.

* * *

"Natalie? May we speak for a minute?" The Director looked at Ali to see if she was coming.

Keeping her face impassive, Ali thought _Impatient crankypants._ However, she nodded and asked, "Where would you like to go?"

The Director signaled her to the first room off of the hallway where she had originally met with him. She walked with him, silent until the door had shut behind them. Then she was almost bursting with questions.

Almost anticipating it, the Director said calmly and cooly, "Sit down, Natalie." Ali did as she was told. "I'm sure you're wondering why you're here." Ali nodded, afraid that if she opened her mouth she would regret it. "We have a lead on your case."

Ali almost gasped out loud. They hadn't had a lead in three years. "Who? What happened?"

"We found a witness who had met the UnSub. We pulled him over for speeding, and when the police opened the trunk they found a dead girl."

Ali's mouth dropped open in an O of surprise. "He's progressed quickly. Did you get anything from the witness?"

The Director shook his head grimly. "He refused to talk. But that's where you can come in."

Ali looked at him curiously before going white, realizing his intentions. "I can't. What if the UnSub finds out? What if the press finds out? How can I be of any more help then everyone else?"

The Director gave her a small, sad smile. "You're our only hope, Ms. Montgomery. The hope is that he'll feel more comfortable around you, and may talk. You have to goad him. You have to play the victor. This man is intent on mastering you, and you have to drive him crazy enough we can get some information."

Ali's eyes were wide with fear. "But... sir." The Director looked at her. Ali felt her common sense be overridden by her desire for this to be over with. No more deaths, all of them her fault. She sighed. "I will try, sir. I cannot promise the outcome, but I can promise that I will try."

The Director looked at her firmly. "Thank you, Natalie. That is all we will ask of you. And please, don't call me sir. For this assignment, I am as much of an agent as you or Hotch." Evidently, Ali's face showed her shock at his knowledge of Hotch's nickname, because the Director - Madison - laughed and said, "I'm not deaf, and I've been living her for four days. What did you think?"

Ali though it over for a second, before admitting his logic. "Fine, Agent Madison. But if I do have to do this interview, can some of the team come with me at least?"

"I expected that. Agent Morgan, Agent Hotchner, Agent Rossi, and Agent Prentiss may come with you."

Registering Ali's puzzled face over so much security, Madison concluded with, "Agent Rossi and Agent Hotchner have to have a talk with Chief Strauss over their stunt at the hospital. Only Agents Morgan and Prentiss will be accompanying you to the actual interrogation."

"Fine. Shall you tell them, or shall I?"

Madison laughed at her. "You get them, and I'll tell them."

Ali nodded before walking over to the door, opening it, and yelling as loudly as she could, "HEY EVERYONE! MEETING NOW IN THE LIVING ROOM!"

Closing the door again, she smiled pleasantly at Madison in a stark contrast to her yelling. Outside the door, they could hear the whole team running (or stampeding in Ali's opinion) to come to the living room. Morgan, Garcia, and Emily were the first to enter. "Jesus, Ali. You don't have to raise the dead," Morgan complained. Emily coughed into her shoulder, trying to hide her laughter at Morgan's very true statement.

JJ and Reid walked into the room, with Hotch and Rossi following them, the former shutting the door behind him. "What is this about, sir?" Hotch respectfully asked Madison.

"We have a lead."

Ali tuned out Madison as he continued to explain the new developments to the team. All she was thinking was, _Maybe this will be over. Maybe when I return, I will be a normal girl. All of the death will be over._

Little did she know how wrong she was.

"_You are not insignificant. To think otherwise is a myth created by doubting what you can do and fear of what you can be." _- Dodinsky


	14. Chapter 14

"_Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." _- Dr. Seuss

"Emily..." Ali said, singing into Emily's ear. They were in a car taking them to the Prison, and Emily had (stupidly) fallen asleep right next to Ali. The temptation was to great to miss. For the last five minutes, Ali had softly whispered Emily's name into her ear, and it appeared that she was about to wake up. Morgan tried to hide a laugh, as he saw Emily's eyes flutter open, only to snap back in shock.

"Natalie! Don't do that. It freaks me out."

Ali nodded through the tears of laughter that were streaming down her face. "Maybe. Just don't annoy me."

Emily nodded, remembering when JJ and Ali had pulled their first prank on her at a FBI retreat and had thrown her in lake when she was asleep. Needless to say, Ali was a prankster.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence, as Emily tried to appear upset (which she wasn't) and Ali and Morgan tried not to laugh at her (which they were.)

Finally, the car pulled up in front of the Prison. Morgan and Emily jumped out, immediately grateful to be out of the confined space, while Ali tried to delay the inevitable by going as slowly as possible.

A man strode up to them. "Ms. Campbell?" Ali almost jumped at the sound of her old name. But here, in the public with her hair dyed black and the colored contacts in, she was a different person. All Ali wanted was to go run to the bathroom and allow her troubles to melt away with each slice of the razor. But she had to continue.

Not letting any emotion show on her face, she attempted to smile. Only Emily could see her true discomfort, but both of the men were too awestruck by her beauty to do more than nod.

"Ready?" she asked, trying to snap the men out of their obsession. They nodded and began to walk towards the scary building in front of them. Emily hung back a little to talk with Ali.

"Are you scared?"

"A little." But Emily could see the truth in her eyes. She looked as if she would want nothing more than to go turn around and run the other way. But she was too good of an agent to back down.

"Just be sure to keep eye contact. Let him know that you're in charge."

"And don't forget that I am never in real danger. I know, I got the same drill at the Academy that you did."

"And Ali?"

Ali turned to look at her. "What?"

Emily leaned forward and unbuttoned the top three buttons on Ali's crisp white shirt. "Don't be afraid to remind him of what he is missing."

Ali flashed her a quick smile. "Thanks."

Emily nodded curtly at her, all business once more. "Welcome."

The small group breezed through all of the security checkpoints, before arriving too soon at the interrogation room. Ali stood nervously before the glass doors, waiting for the okay from the guard next to her. After what felt like decades, he gave her a brief salute, and she took that as meaning to move in.

After opening the door, time was lost as she saw the man before her. He was short and stocky, with brown hair and cold grey eyes. When he saw her, he immediately laughed. "So this is what they sent me? A little girl? I hope you memorized your script, darling, because I'm not talking either way." He spoke with such a faint Southern drawl, Ali may not have noticed it at first. But she noticed everything about him.

"Cute. But I'm not here to play. Tell me what his name is."

He laughed at her once more. "Why should I? Now here, sweetheart, I know you better than you know yourself. There isn't nothing you can say that will make me tell you anything."

Ali stared at him, her sapphire eyes cold and unflinching. "Oh really? What if I told you I knew about Chloe?"

A shiver seemed to run up his spine. "What about Chloe?"

Ali felt triumphant, even though she kept her beautiful face in a mask. "What more? I know her name, her Social Security number, her old Facebook status, her birthday... I know her cause of death, who killed her and where she's buried."

He stood up, fury etched in his face. He roughly grabbed Ali from across the table and pulled her close. Ali knew that, although they only had seconds before guards stormed the room, she could hopefully prolong that long enough to know what he was going to say. She tried to make eye contact with Emily in the one way mirror behind her, and to let her know she was okay, and to leave her be. She could handle this. And somehow, she knew that Emily was getting the message.

He pulled her in tighter. "Tell me what happened to my daughter."

Ali gave him a short brutal laugh. "Now you want to talk? Great. She became a drug addict, to Heroin I think, after your old dealer came by to pick up some debts. She turned tricks once Michelle threw her out to keep up the habit, until she died of an O.D. She was my age."

Rage overcame him to the point he couldn't think clearly. "I will get you, Alison Campbell. When he comes, I will tell him all about our little meeting. He will destroy you and all of your friends. But not quickly. He will prolong it. First your family. Then your friends. Then you. In the end, it's flesh and blood that matters the most."

Ali stared hard into the grey eyes. "There's no one left that I love." She was practically spitting venom now.

All he did was stare at her, and fumble at something with his hands. From under the table, he pulled out a small block of iron, that, although only about 6 inches tall and wide, had seriously sharp corners and wicked edges. "Good night, Alison."

He threw it at her head, and it struck her as everything turned grey. She fell backwards with the blow, and he followed her. She held her breath, and appeared to be dead. He leaned over, checking her pulse, before appearing to be pleased with his work. He aimed a kick at her body, and said, "I'll be sure to tell your Daddy you say hello."

An armed force of guards came into the room, shouting, "Michael Williams - Freeze!" But he simply stood up, hands over his head, and calmly walked out of the room followed by most of the prison workforce. Only Emily, Morgan, and the Agent that was supposed to guard them stayed behind. After they had thought they got all of the information on video camera, the Agents had no more use for Alison. But they didn't know that he spoke too softly for the best microphones money could buy to hear. What he said was meant for Ali, and Ali alone.

"Ali!" Emily cried. She ran over to the unconscious girls side, and began to smooth the hair away from the gash on her forehead. The red smeared the black strands until they were a rusty color. "Ali!"

Ali coughed and sat up. Now Emily was pissed. "Natalie Belle Mont - I mean... ughhh... Alison whatever-the-hell-you-middle-name-is Campbell, don't scare us like that!" Ali gave a small chuckle.

"Don't worry, Emily. I'm fine. He has the throwing skills of Reid."

"But - but - your head..."

Morgan butted in now. "Emily, seriously? Get a grip. She said she was fine, although, Ali, you really should get that checked out."

Ali glared at him with a stubborn set to her jaw. "No. I want to go home. And there is something I need to tell you guys that I will only say in private."

"First the doctor, then the plane."

Ali glared at Emily, annoyed. "But we'll make Hotch late! And I would hate to do that."

Morgan raised his hands in surrender. "Compromise. We'll see the prison doctor. Fair? No hospitals."

Ali nodded slowly, although she wasn't very happy. "Fine." Emily grunted to signify her approval.

With that, Morgan grabbed one of Ali's arms and lifted her up. She started to flinch, and Morgan was afraid he had hurt her. Ali pulled her arm out of his iron grip, and, grumbling, said "I can walk on my own."

She led the way to the infirmary, where they saw many bright orange inmates working. A doctor approached Ali, immediately alerted by her scarlet forehead. Exhausted by the short walk, Ali's face was ashen grey, and she trembled where she stood.

"I'm Dr. Kate Murray. What happened?" Morgan explained to the doctor what happened, as Ali stared around listlessly.

"Go get a bed. I will be with you shortly." Dr. Murray said commandingly.

Emily helped Ali find a bed, as Morgan helped the doctor get all of her tools. When they were almost back at Ali, Morgan pulled her aside. "Two things you should know. One, your discretion will be greatly appreciated. Her name is Alison Campbell, and she is in hiding."

Dr. Murray nodded knowingly. "I thought I recognized her. Go on, continue."

"Two, she doesn't like to be touched. We got her to put up with it for a little while, but after some recent trauma, the only person who can touch her is one of my colleagues, and she is still at our HQ."

Once more, Dr. Murray nodded. She had seen many trauma patients before, and had known Ali was a victim from practically the first second she had seen her. She beckoned to Morgan to follow her back to Ali, and the big man complied.

She opened the curtain, and cheerfully said, "So, Ms. Campbell, ready for some stitches?"

Ali grumbled some sort of a response that probably was a no, but Emily glared at her and Ali sullenly nodded her head. Morgan wondered what Emily could have said to Ali to make her so cooperative, but then decided that, as a federal agent, he would do better to allow them to hold their piece.

Dr. Murray was heating up some thread and a needle, as Ali looked at her nervously. She got out a syringe with some clear liquid, and said, "Here's some pain medicine. I just need your wrist so I can inject it into the vein."

Ali's eyes darted around nervously, and sweat was forming on her face. "No thank you."

Dr. Murray was surprised. "Are you sure? It's quite alright, I promise you."

Ali shook her head vehemently, and that was the end of the matter.

The doctor grabbed the needle with the hands of an artist, and prepared to work. Emily thought that they would need to tie down Ali with chain in order to give Dr. Murray some peace, but after the first few stitches, when Ali was confident that Dr. Murray's hands would do no more than fly a few inches above her head, she was calm and collected.

Before she knew it, Dr. Murray was done. A much happier Ali slid down from off the table and ran to the front of the grim clinic. The adults watched her go.

Dr. Murray broke the silence. "She should be fine, but check her every two hours for a concussion. If she doesn't wake up, bring her to the hospital. Her brain is fragile right now, so don't try and shock her in the next few hours, or her brain will go into overdrive trying to process the information."

Emily nodded. This was not news to her. Turning on her heel, she went to go find Ali with Morgan right behind her. When they finally caught up with the younger girl, Emily gently chided her for running off, while Morgan found the exit. Being extremely anxious to get Ali out of there, Morgan waved to Emily and Ali to follow him.

A Black SUV was waiting for them when they got out, being driven by the agent that had accompanied them into the prison. Morgan and Ali climbed into the car with Emily right behind them.

The car took off, and Ali breathed a sigh of relief. Emily and Morgan exchanged glances. They had to know what Michael Williams had told Ali, but they didn't want to rush it. She was in such a fragile state, and they didn't want to push her over the edge. Morgan looked at Emily, and his eyes said _You do it_. Emily gave an almost impeccable nod of her head. "Ali, we have to know what he told you."

Ali stared at them thoughtfully. "He told me who the UnSub is."

Emily almost fell out of her seat. "Who?" she demanded.

Ali looked out the window at the greenery zooming by them. "My father."

"_Who am I then? Tell me that first, and then, if I like being that person, I'll come up; if not, I'll stay down here till I'm someone else." _ - Lewis Carroll


	15. Chapter 15

_"All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair."_ - Mitch Albom

Ali looked out the window as she finally stated who was the end to all of this. Who had tortured her for so long, and would ruin her life. Who was to blame for her ruin. "My father."

Emily reacted first. "Honey, that's not possible. Your father is dead."

Ali looked at her like she was crazy. "No. Rob Campbell is dead. But my father is very much alive."

Morgan spoke, his calm words washing over both of them. "Ali, he is your father."

Ali laughed a brittle laugh. "Really? I don't think so. I was his bastard child, the offspring of an adulterous wife and the man Rob refused to acknowledge existed, passed off as his to show the world that he could do his job."

Emily and Morgan were confused. On one point, Ali could very well be right. But most of that facts - and the gaping head wound on Ali's forehead - pointed to a more logical conclusion. But something told the Agents that this wasn't the case. Ali was too logical, and was thinking too clearly. Which left only one option.

"Okay. So say you were right. How do you suppose we catch him?" Morgan asked.

"Easy-peasy. I'm bait. Obviously he wants me, so we let him take me. He's prideful, and we can use that against him. He will want to gloat, and prove that he was smarter than we were. So, he will try to send some form of contact and try to prove that he could capture me, and that you failed in keeping me safe."

As Ali was speaking, Emily's mouth turned further and further down until it looked almost uncomfortable. Finally, as Ali stopped, Emily butted in. "But you can't, Ali. That's the point. We will be putting you in danger, and we won't let that happen to you."

Ali's turquoise eyes flashed. "Really? Emily, I am not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself."

Now Morgan was upset with her. "Natalie, listen to yourself speak. Obviously, you can't be trusted. When your actions involve the team, we all make the call. This isn't about just you anymore. It's about all of us."

Ali didn't speak for several minutes. When she finally did speak, it was in defeat. "Fine. But do you believe me about... him?"

Morgan and Emily looked at each other, before seamlessly nodding. It was a give and take, and Ali had proven that she would give. Now they had to take her information at her word.

All of a sudden, the serious atmosphere in the car had lifted. Ali smiled goofily, and said, "So we're in Washington DC, and the only thing we have to do is wait for Hotch and Rossi to finish up their meeting. Or..." Ali and Morgan exchanged looks.

"Do you think she's up for it, little girl?" Morgan asked, referring to Emily.

Ali nodded her head mysteriously. Morgan grinned, and said to the Agent driving them, "Hey, can you take the scenic road? We have to make a stop on the way."

* * *

When the Agent's got out of the car, the first thing any of them could see was a giant building. Emily looked closer, and she spotted a few letters marking it as the Smithsonian. Her jaw dropped. "No way. I've always wanted to come here! How did you know?"

Ali and Morgan exchanged secretive smiles, and Emily knew she would have better luck getting water out of a stone rather than information from those two. "Come on, Prentiss. Just enjoy it."

Emily sighed, but couldn't help but to smile. She had wanted to see the Wright brothers' plane ever since she was little, and this was her chance. "Well come on, guys!"

Ali and Morgan followed her gleefully. When the group had made it through the front door and approximately twenty feet through the front door, Emily stopped and gasped at some old exhibit. Ali could not see her fascination with the old technology, but she shoved her thoughts to the back of her mind and allowed herself to be showed around by Emily.

* * *

When they had finished with the museum and picked up Hotch and Rossi, the next order of business was to fill them in on all that had happened. Ali explained to them who the UnSub is, and told them her plan. For the next few minutes, all was silent. Then Hotch spoke. "Agent Montgomery, we cannot allow you to do this. Morgan, I'm assuming you have already talked to her about this?" He put stress on the word Agent, making Ali grit her teeth.

"Look everyone, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. All I want is to know that you won't totally ignore my idea."

Rossi stared at her. "Fine. But we are a team, Natalie. Don't forget that. We trust each other with our lives everyday, and we can't do anything to jeopardize it. Trust means everything in this field. You will have nothing to live for if you cannot trust. Understand?"

Ali nodded. "Fine. Now I know it's early, but I would really much rather go home than stick around here, and I'm sure JJ and Reid won't mind us interrupting their 'alone time.' In fact, they may just thank us from not making them spend extra time together."

Emily tried to smile and laugh with the rest of the team, but she couldn't. She mentally reminded herself to check the house before Ali got there and make sure JJ and Reid were... prepared for them coming home early. They didn't need that on top of everything else.

* * *

"Shut. Up." Emily whispered angrily to Morgan. She had finally made Ali fall asleep on the plane ride home, and now all she wanted was for her to stay asleep long enough to help her snap out of whatever mood she was going through and help her think clearly. When she had reassessed her options, hopefully she would realize that her idea was crazy.

Until then, they had many tests to run on Ali's DNA. If her biological father was the UnSub, then they had his DNA in her. If not... Well, they would cross that bridge when they got there.

"Hey Em... You don't really think the UnSub is Ali's father, do you?"

Emily snapped her head in shock, before remembering Morgan was still next to her. "Huh? Oh. Well, I don't know. I mean, she seemed so certain, and she's never been wrong before, but..."

Morgan nodded his head. "I know. She's been different lately. Crazed about this man. It seems like the littlest things set her off, and we can't stop it."

"She may be right, but she may just be looking for a logical way out. I mean, teenagers lie all of the time, and we can never forget that Ali is a teenager. It may just be her coping mechanism, but she needs help. She was ready to sacrifice herself to catch this man. It was a suicide mission, and she didn't bat an eye. I know that she's the lead on this case, but it's gone too far. She needs to stop before she hurts herself, or somebody else."

Hotch walked up to them, hearing their conversation. "Thank you, Emily. However, this is part of what we were discussing with Strauss. Natalie is in over her head, and we've decided to take her off the case."

Emily got a startled look in her eyes. Never had she imagined that Ali would actually be taken off the case. Morgan agreed with her, saying to Hotch, "When were you planning on telling her?"

"I was actually hoping one of you two could tell her instead. To me, she has been... verbally explosive and sometimes violent before, and I'm hoping I won't have to arrest her before we put the UnSub on trial. It doesn't do anything for a witness' credibility."

Hotch hoped Emily would at least smile at the small joke, but she didn't even blink. "Fine. I will tell her. But on one condition."

"Name it."

"We still stay with her at Reid's house. At least three Agents plus an undetermined amount of guards."

"Of course. She is still a witness, as well as being apart of this team. We would never leave her."

"Good."

What none of the Agents had realized was that, while they were speaking, the still figure apparently asleep had opened one turquoise eye and was watching the proceedings with interest. In her opinion, they had read the signs all wrong. She wasn't different. She wasn't obsessive. She was determined to save lives. However, they were right about one thing. She wasn't going to go without a bang.

_"There is a voice inside of you_

_That whispers all day long,_

_'I feel this is right for me,_

_I know that this is wrong.'_

_No teacher, preacher, parent, friend_

_Or wise man can decide_

_What's right for you-just listen to_

_The voice that speaks inside."_

― Shel Silverstein


	16. Chapter 16

_"A good friend keeps your secrets for you. A best friend helps you keep your own secrets." _ - Lauren Oliver

"Natalie, no!" Emily called out.

But it was too late as Ali, distraught over her recent unassignment of the case, opened the door and barged in on Reid in his underwear and JJ hurriedly tying a robe over herself.

Ali stopped moving for a brief second as she took in the situation. Then her mouth turned down into a thin, hard line. "You've been lying to me."

"No Ali, I swear... We've just started seeing each other when you were gone. I swear we were going to tell you as soon as you got back."

Ali watched her, and was almost convinced before JJ started to tuck her hair behind her ear, a sure way to tell somebody was lying. Then she knew. "Your tell gives you away every time. Stop it. Just stop with the lies. And you as well, Emily. You knew about this for how long?"

Emily considered lying, but then decided against it. She had taught Ali herself, and knew how accurate the girl was. "Almost 3 1/2 years. But they only started seeing each other again recently, I swear! Strauss made them break up before."

In Ali's eyes, tears glittered making the turquoise look even more stunning. Not processing anything except for 3 1/2 years, she said, "I'm done with this."

And with that, Ali ran up the stairs. Emily and JJ made a move to run after her, before Reid said, "Don't. Let her deal with this on her own."

JJ nodded, and Emily glared at him. "To hell with that. You got us into this mess. Please, just go."

Morgan came up behind her. "What the hell just happened? Ali just ran by me crying." Emily sighed as she tried to explain what happened.

* * *

Up in her room, Ali shut and locked the door, panting. Her original idea would never cut it now. All she wanted was to be done with this. She wanted to go and be with Gracie. There was nobody left for her on this planet. It was time to go. But before she could do that, she had one last thing to do.

Grabbing her old and beaten up journal from underneath her mattress, Ali made one last entry. Knowing it would be her last, she poured all of her emotion into the one entry.

_Dear Emily, JJ, Garcia, Morgan, Reid, Rossi, and Hotch;_

_I guess there truly is not an easy was to write this. But I will try, if only to give you the answers you crave. The girl that was once me was born sometime in early October. From what I gather, my real father took me once I was born to keep me from my mother. My real name is unknown, as my birth certificate is lost to all. I was taken away on October 16th 1997, and given back to my mother and her husband. They took me, and passed me off for a newborn. Officially, I was Alison Cassandra Campbell, 9 pounds 4 ounces, brown hair, blue eyes. Nobody knew the truth._

_I grew up in that household, miserable for the life I saw all of my friends have. Rob resented me for being my father's daughter; I am supposed to have his eyes, and I believe each time he looked at me he was reminded at what my mother did. Eventually, he would cut me. I remember a time when I was four, and Grace was being born. I did something to annoy him, and he dragged me to a supply closet and took his cigarette and burned my hands. When the nurse tried to give me my baby sister for the first time, I had to tell her that I was so clumsy I burned my hands on the stove, and didn't want to touch her in fear of dropping her. I gave Rob the idea that now he had something to hold against me. Grace became his leverage to keep me in line._

_I was eleven, and had just became a star overnight. It was my fifth photo shoot in one day, and I hadn't eaten anything. One of the photographers told my mom I was looking pale and sickly, and, indeed, I felt sick enough to risk Rob's wrath for not going. But that wasn't an option. To this day, I remember the hissing of my mother's voice as she tried to make me get up. She called me a lazy cow, and I just wanted to hurt her. It wasn't her though. It was him speaking through her. She was his now._

_ That night, I made my first cut. I couldn't do anything more than a P, to stand for the perfection I was supposed to be._

_No matter what I did, it was never good enough for them. After the P came an E, and the T. Perfect. Such a sweet, innocent word. What everyone - myself included - had wanted to be from the moment they were born. _

_Once Rob and my mother had died and I met you, I felt like I was finally free. Alison Campbell died, and Natalie Montgomery lived. _

_JJ, you made me want to be a kind and caring woman who could put away her past for the greater good. _

_Emily, words cannot even describe how you made me work to become like you. You are so strong and independent, and never looked back once in your life. Please never change._

_Spencer - What can I say? I'm sure some part of you will try and compartmentalize like when Gideon moved on. But we - they - will need you to help them move on. You made me want to become smarter, and I must have learned more facts from you than the rest of the team put together._

_Garcia, you have been my bright light and guardian angel for the last three years. Never give that up._

_Morgan... I'm not sure what to put for you. You've always been there like the big brother I wanted but never had. You - all of you - are my family._

_Hotch and Rossi - Never have I met two men more grim faced and serious than you two. You always show a face of humor in even the most dire situations, and for that I am eternally grateful. You helped me out through the Academy, and were always there for me. I'm sorry I couldn't return the favor._

_All of you, please forgive me for what I will do. I never met to hurt anyone. I love each and every one of you, and you are my family. I'm truly sorry from the deepest depths of my heart, but maybe now it will be over. He will stop now that I am dead, and you can live your lives in peace. I only ask two things. _

_One: Please remember me. Don't let me be another forgotten gravestone in a yard of souls._

_Two: Mourn me, but do not rule your life by it. Live. Love. Cherish what you have. I think I have finally realized that._

_I'm sorry._

_Forever,_

_Alison Cassandra Campbell_

_Natalie Belle Montgomery_

With her last signature, Ali shakily took off her blouse so she was only in her low cut tank top. She folded the garment and placed it on her neatly made bed, with the journal on top of it.

She got a fresh razor out of the package, and took off the blade, like she had done so many times before. She held it above her breast like before, and made the first slice like before. But unlike ever before, she did not make a slight indent. She pressed down, tracing over the white letters, until scarlet flowed everywhere. Then she kept pressing until she couldn't move. Then she laid down on the floor, and waited to die.

_"It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one. We all know that our time in this world is limited, and that eventually all of us will end up underneath some sheet, never to wake up. And yet it is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know. It is like walking up the stairs to your bedroom in the dark, and thinking there is one more stair than there is. Your foot falls down, through the air, and there is a sickly moment of dark surprise as you try and readjust the way you thought of things." - _Lemony Snicket


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Sorry about all of the date inconsistencies, but I realized that since I moved forward three years, the current year in the book is about 2015, so that's why the dates are kind of wacky. As well, I know this chapter is probably a bit boring, but it's a big part in the rest of the book (also why it's extremely long). Thank you so much for reading!**

_"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone."_ - Ronald Reagan

"Ali? Please open the door. We need to talk about this." JJ waited for a reply, but no noise came from behind the white door.

Emily nudged her over, and she gladly relinquished her position to her friend. "Natalie, you have five seconds to open the door before I piss off Reid and kick it down. Five. Four. Three." They listened for a noise, but neither heard anything. Shrugging, Emily continued to count. "Two. One. Zero."

She motioned to JJ to get out of the way, and kicked down the door. Theoretically, it should have kept anyone away, but a flimsy piece of wood would do nothing to an extremely determined FBI agent who kicked down doors for a living. They looked in the room, at first seeing nothing out of the ordinary. But then they looked closer, and, barely visible in the blackness, was a lump that was Ali.

"Ali?" JJ asked, a lump forming in her throat. But she knew what she would find before looking. "Natalie?"

Emily rushed over to the prone figure. Eyes flashing, she yelled to JJ, "Call 9-1-1! Get the rest of the team and meet us at the the hospital, and pick up Garcia. Hurry!"

JJ ran to do as she was told, and Emily grabbed the closest piece of cloth, which happened to be Ali's blouse left on the bed. A small object fell when she grabbed it, and Emily put it in her pocket for later.

She wadded up the blouse, and pressed it over the cuts on Ali's chest. When the blood was cleared away, she could clearly see the lines marking out years of torture. Perfect. The letters spelled Perfect.

Emily could hear the sound of sirens getting closer. She knew that the team would be rushing to the hospital waiting for Ali to arrive. Looking at the once beautiful girl bleeding out in front of her, Emily prayed that the ambulance would be here soon.

* * *

_I didn't think it was possible after so long, but I felt the pain of my life leaving me. Death was the one thing that a lifetime of torture could prepare no one for. I could see the white light at the end of the tunnel of pain. I could see Grace's face. She was there waiting for me. But, contrary to my dreams, she did not look overjoyed to see me._

_Gleefully, I called out, "Gracie!"_

_Cooly, she replied, "Alison."_

_I floated the last few feet to where she was standing. "What's wrong? We can be together again. Like we should have been from the beginning."_

_Her face softened slightly, and I realized she looked older than 12. "Ali, I would love for that. But this isn't your time. They need you. You have to trust them. They are your family now."_

_Looking down below us, I realized I could see Emily, JJ, and the team waiting in the lobby of the hospital. They must have found me and brought me here. JJ was crying into Reid's shoulder, and he looked like he had aged 10 years since the afternoon. Hotch and Morgan were both as stern as they can be, but I could see the tears trickling down their cheeks. Emily was trying to comfort Garcia, but that was doing little good. Rossi was nowhere to be found, presumably because he was trying to convince the nurses to let the teams see me._

_Grace spoke, her voice angelic and soft. "You see now? They need you more than I do. You always did rush into things a bit too much." _

_I then knew what I had to do._

_I brushed a little bit of hair off of my little sister's forehead. "I love you, Grace. Never forget that."_

_She smiled, and leaned in, kissing me on the head. Immediately, I felt myself be grounded - literally. The wind was whistling through my ears, but I felt no pain. I looked up, and saw Grace's long blonde hair and green eyes, looking angelic with heaven glowing behind her. A whisper of the wind came to play with my long hair before I hit the ground, and as it passed by my ear, I swear it said, "I love you too, Ali."_

* * *

"What is that?" JJ asked Emily, pointing at her pocket. Emily looked puzzled, before remembering the small book she had picked up on her rush to get Ali.

Reid, Morgan, Garcia, Hotch, and Rossi all glanced over at her, and Emily opened the book. Immediately, they saw Ali's all too familiar handwriting. As a team, they started to read the entries.

**_October 12th, 2012_**

_I don't know why I've never tried writing in here before. Maybe it's been too hard remembering everything that's happened, or maybe it's simply I just thought it was silly. But today, if there was ever a way to clear my head, I need it. He hurt Gracie today. We had a deal, and he broke it. I promised him that he would never touch her, and he could always have me. It was me for Grace. But he didn't. She came crying to me, with burns all up and down her arms. It was deja vu from the day she was born. And now he will pay._

_Forever,_

_Alison_

Emily looked up from what she was reading to meet the shocked faces of the team. How did they never hear about this? But Ali was different. When you got past one wall with her, all that would happen would be you run face first into another. Now they know why.

**_October 18th, 2012_**

_I tried. I swear to God, I tried as hard as I could. But it wasn't enough to save her. I called the police, and they took him in for questioning, but nothing came out of it. Mother told them I was delusional, and that we were fine. We were always fine. Today I finished with the T. Perfect. We weren't fine. We were perfect._

_Forever,_

_Alison_

**_November 12, 2012_**

_I need to be more careful. I think he knows that I've been writing. I haven't been as forceful, and I haven't yelled at him as much. On the contrary, he has gotten even worse. I find myself contemplating killing myself. The only thing that keeps me from it is Gracie. I don't want to leave her with him without a protector. People have watched me ever since I was little, wondering why I was different. I don't want - can't have - that for her._

_Forever,_

_Alison_

**_November 24th, 2012_**

_Today, I got a new part in a movie that's supposed to be my "big break." I play a victim of abuse who tries to stand up to her abusers. The Director wanted to know if I would be okay for the role, though, as I am "so young, and may not be able to provide the correct amount of emotion for an abused child." If he only knew._

_Forever,_

_Alison_

**_December 12th, 2013_**

_We tried to leave. The yelling could be heard from across the street, but we succeeded. Out of the house, and away from him. We were happy for two weeks before he found us. I start filming next week. How do they expect me to still go into work everyday, and throw some emotion on screen, be called beautiful and amazing, and then go home to this? It haunts me. I don't know what to do. I just wish this nightmare was over. It can't possibly get worse._

_Forever,_

_Alison_

**_January 2nd, 2013_**

_As of a week ago on Christmas, everything has changed. He's gone. She's gone. But so is Gracie. I barely escaped with my life. I don't know what to do; I don't know who to turn to. I'm lost and confused. There's some person from the FBI that keeps interviewing me, but she probably only wants what they all want. Proof that I am crazy, and then they will leave. But what do I do? The agent told me I was a victim, and acted like I would freak out knowing that. I know I am a victim. I - we - have been victims. Grace and I. I miss Gracie more than words can say. I need her back. Without her, I feel hollow. I have nothing to live for._

_Goodbye,_

_Alison_

**_January 4th, 2013_**

_I tried to die. I wanted to die. But I couldn't do it. A paparazzi found me, and I ran out of the hospital room. I got all the way up to the window, and I stared out at all of the people walking around outside. How many had hurt another person? How many have suffered at the hands of another? And now I know I don't want to die yet. I don't want to die, knowing that evil still walked this world, and I could help. I want to live._

_Forever,_

_Alison_

**_January 7th, 2013_**

_Remember the Agent I wrote about? Her name is JJ. Her and her friend Emily helped me escape Alison. As far as I am concerned, Alison died when Grace did. I guess in some aspect, I was right. Alison had nothing to live for. But I do. My name is now Natalie, meaning the one born on Christmas. And I guess that, in a way, I was. I still go by Ali, my own personal homage to who I once was. Belle is my middle name, after Grace. And Montgomery, my mother's maiden name. So I guess this is my last time writing in here, as this is for Alison to get her emotions out. I'm done with her. So, this is goodbye._

_Goodbye,_

_Alison Cassandra Campbell_

_October 17th, 1997 - December 25th, 2012_

_Forever,_

_Natalie Belle Montgomery_

_December 25th, 2012 - present_

JJ gently took the book from Emily and looked through the pages. Most of them were blank after that. "Is that it?" Morgan asked hopefully.

Emily shook her head, as she saw the last few pages. JJ started to read out the obviously newer passages.

**_March 5th, 2015_**

_Looking at my old entries, I'm not even sure if that was even me. My longing to help people has disappeared when I started to hurt more than help. I never asked for any of this. I had to draw blood. Perfect. That much has not changed. I'm slowly changing back into all that I was. Natalie is disappearing, and Alison is being resurrected. I'm changing, and I doubt it's for the better._

_Forever,_

_Natalie_

**_March 6th, 2015_**

_Today I did it again. I'm not sure if people would even notice if I was gone any more. Nobody understands me. I am a mystery. I have beat death not once, but twice. And in return, He has taken away my friends. My family. My life. What's next? Some days I wonder if it would just be easier to kill myself and be done with it. To never have to go back to that stupid hospital, and learn who he has killed this time. I would be done for good. Forever in peace, back with Gracie. What's so wrong with that? Got to go, hear JJ coming up the stairs._

_Forever,_

_Natalie (aka Alison)_

The only other entry was in the very back. All of the agents seemed to know what it was. The note.

* * *

Finally, a doctor walked up to them. They read his name tag. Dr. Evans. Ali's doctor.

"Ms. Montgomery is awake, and has asked for your presence. However, I must inform you that she needs to be kept in Psych for a few days before long term arrangements may be made." He looked like he would rather be anywhere else, and Emily privately suspected that he was just upset that he had to speak to them, as he had already displayed his feelings that he was too important to talk to friends. "As well, as Ms. Montgomery is below the age of 21, she will need a guardian through the rehab program. You may speak to legal about that."

Garcia looked as if she was about to die, so without elaborating any more the doctor led them through a bunch of hallways until they found the one familiarly marked with ICU. In the first room on the right, they could see Ali. Beaten and bloody, but alive. Two nurses were trying to calm her with some clear drug, but she wasn't standing still long enough for them to insert the needle into the IV.

Dr. Evans turned around, and said in a monotone voice, "Only two may go in at a time, as to not excite her." Like that would change anything.

It was immediately decided JJ and Emily would go first, and try and calm down the still fighting girl. They did not need a drugged agent on top of everything else, because, even though she was a suicidal patient, she was still an Agent first, and nobody needed to hear what would happen if she lost control over her mouth. Precious national secrets, told to all with ears. JJ was simply grateful that they had managed to coax some dye out of Ali's hair, so it wasn't immediately obvious that she was the missing starlet everyone was looking for.

They opened the soundproof doors, and were immediately hit with Ali screaming, "Don't touch me!". Watching her interact with the nurses, Emily calmly remarked to JJ, "We truly should warn them to stay away from the teeth - never mind." The nurses had apparently learned that lesson for themselves, as Ali got a mouthful of one of them.

Emily flashed her badge at them, and they retreated to outside the glass room to simply watch. Ali glimpsed Emily and JJ, and, for only a split second, they saw happiness in her eyes. Then it was replaced by the sullen look that had been there for the last week. "What do you want?"

JJ looked as if she was about to either hug or kill Ali, but Emily put a restraining hand on her friend. JJ somehow managed to calm herself down, and Emily smiled pleasantly. "So... Is there a place where we can sit and talk?"

Ali laughed sarcastically. "Cute. They don't even trust me enough to hold a glass for myself. What makes you think I'm responsible enough for a chair?"

Now Emily was getting pissed at her. Walking over to the curtain placed around the glass doors, she closed them to give the three of them some privacy. "Please, Alison, what makes you think that you can just treat us like crap? Yeah, this has been tough for you. We get that. We've all been there. But never in our wildest dreams have we tried to kill ourselves. None of us have taken the cheaters way out. Did you even think of that? We could helped you. But instead you chose to try and kill yourself, with not even an explanation of why. JJ made a mistake. But that was a small matter in life. We knew you would over react, which is why we waited to tell you, and obviously we were right. And you getting reassigned? You would know why if you were even still partially the agent you were. Hell, you would be the first one to admit you need to sit this one out. How you made it this far, none of us will ever know. You said you wanted to help others, but now it looks like you're the one that needs help."

Ali simply stared at her. "Nice try, Em. But you forgot one thing. I'm pulling the strings here. I'm still in charge, whether you like it or not."

This was enough for JJ. "No, Ali. You need help, and we can help you. But you have to want to get better."

Ali was done. "I DON'T NEED TO GET BETTER!" she exploded. "JUST LEAVE! GET THE F*** OUT OF HERE!"

To enforce her point, she looked around for something to throw at them. Deciding the wisest course of action would be to make a hasty retreat, Emily and JJ walked out of the room, allowing the nurses to try and restrain her once more.

_"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude._" - Thomas Jefferson


	18. Chapter 18

_"A healthier way of thinking and acting is to allow yourself to receive the help and love you need. You weren't designed to live alone. You have limitations on your strength and abilities."_ - Michael Barbarulo

"What are you doing back here?" Ali asked sulkily.

Emily and JJ looked at each other. JJ mouthed _Let me handle this _to Emily_. _Emily gave her a subtle nod in reply. "Ali, we know this isn't you. You're not going to get better like this."

Ali tried to free herself from the restraints the nurses put on her last night. Finally, she gave up, falling back onto the pillows weakly. JJ looked at her closely, and noticed how her usually pale skin was now a shade of white, and around her turquoise eyes were dark circles. Tears started to trickle down Ali's cheeks, but she angrily tried (and failed) to wipe them away. "Go away. Please. Before you get hurt."

JJ exchanged a shocked glance with Emily. Was this why Ali was so scared? Was it not for her, but for them? "Ali, you have to talk to us. I know you think this is stupid, but I know what you are going through."

"You have no idea what I'm going through!" Ali spat out. "I just want this to be over! I cannot let either of you, or Morgan, or Reid, or Hotch, or Rossi, or Garcia, or anyone die again because of me!"

Cooly, JJ said, "I do know what you're going through. Julia - my sister - committed suicide when I was 11. I still remember her giving me her necklace. It was this pretty little silver dolphin, and as much as I protested that she was giving me her favorite piece of jewelry, I was secretly grateful because I always wanted one like it. That was the last time I saw her alive. So, yes, I do know what it feels like to lose someone you love. And I'm not about to let it happen again."

Ali tried to determine whether she could trust them with what happened when she died. Her earlier mistrust had been a mistake, which she now realized. JJ and Reid had a reason to keep their secret, even though Ali couldn't understand it. But if JJ couldn't trust her with something that trivial, how could Ali ever trust her with the truth?

But Ali had to trust the team. Without it, she would never be able to live her life. She remembered the wise words of her sister. "_You have to trust them. They are your family now."_

Quietly, Ali said, "I saw Grace. She told me it wasn't my time. There were still people that needed saving. We have to save them. My God, what happened to me?" Ali faintly recalled all that had happened with a clear head, now that the initial adrenaline rush that consumed the last few weeks was gone.

She tried to get out of the bed, but was pulled back in by the restraints. "Any chance you could get these off?" she said sarcastically.

JJ and Emily laughed. Ali was, at least for now, back.

* * *

"Please, doctor, we need her back in the safe house," JJ pleaded with Dr. Evans.

He shook his head. "Legal is very specific about these things. 72 hours in observation before placement in a psychiatric care facility, with a legal guardian. Besides, I'm positive that you have other Agents to help Ms. Montgomery while she is sick."

JJ looked at Reid, who was standing directly behind her. He stepped forward, temporarily distracting the doctor. "We are in no position to have to replace Agent Montgomery. She has pertinent information to our current case, and, regardless of this, her duties as an active agent must come first. We can keep her safe, with mandatory psych evaluation."

Dr. Evans gave them a grin similar to that of the Grinch. "I'm afraid I cannot do that." He turned around to leave, and nearly ran into Morgan. Stuttering an apology, he walked away.

Morgan walked up to JJ and Reid and asked, "What was that?"

JJ explained what had happened, while Reid looked around, presumably for another way to help Ali escape illegally. But when JJ finished speaking, Morgan laughed instead of being concerned. "I know how to fix this. Come on."

He pulled a card out of his pocket. JJ read it out loud. "Dr. Kate Murray, 315-555-6098. How will this help us?"

"Let's say she could use some help, and I know what we could offer her in exchange."

JJ nodded. "Ok. Let's try it."

* * *

Ali watched as outside the glass doors of her room, a small familiar looking woman walked up to Morgan, JJ, and Reid. They talked for a few minutes before opening the door to Ali's room.

"Ali, remember Dr. Murray?" Morgan said.

Ali squinted at the woman, looking at her carefully, before recognizing the prison doctor. "Yes."

Dr. Murray smiled and laughed. "Hi Ms. Campbell. Or is it Agent Montgomery here?"

Ali looked at Morgan questioningly. Since when did they tell strangers about Ali's dual identities? Morgan, seeing Ali's look, said, "Don't worry, Ali. She's going to help us get out of here."

Ali relaxed, trusting Morgan. "Fine."

Dr. Murray put on her gloves with a sharp snap, shocking Ali. "Okay Ms. Montgomery. I'm sure that by now you know the drill."

Ali sighed loudly, but let the doctor do what she needed. She liked Dr. Murray a lot more than the other doctors, remembering how she was extremely careful to honor Ali's wishes when stitching up her head. When they were all done with the physical exam, she started on the questions.

"What was the best day in your life?"

"The day I graduated from the FBI Academy."

"What was the worst?"

"The day my sister died."

"Care to elaborate?"

"No."

They continued like this for several minutes, Ali not being "cooperative" but at least speaking, which is more than anybody else had been able to get out of her before. Finally, Dr. Murray said, "Thank you, Ms. Montgomery."

Ali nodded blankly at her, her mind already on the next thing at hand. Morgan followed Dr. Murray out of the room, and spoke with her once they were both outside. "What do you think, doc? Can you do anything?"

She nodded. "Yes. But I need her guardian to sign off."

He looked at her, puzzled. "What do you mean? She's a legal adult."

Dr. Murray shook her head. "Didn't Dr. Evans already explain this to you? No? Well, she's not quite a legal adult yet. For rehab, she needs someone that will make decisions for her when she is deemed incapable of it. Usually, we just give that to the next of kin, but in this case..." Her voice trailed off.

Morgan understood the position she was put in. "Okay. So we get a guardian, and then we can switch doctors to you? Or how does that work?"

"Pretty much just like that. Just sign off, and then I can get her a deal to attend therapy regularly in exchange to live with one of you. But from what I understand, she already lives with one of the agents, so that should not be as big of an issue."

"Yeah. Thank you so much, doc. And I will talk to your superior about getting you a better spot in the prison."

She smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you." Pulling a clipboard out of her bag, she quickly gave Morgan the papers for Legal. "Just get someone to sign these, and I can get her out of here in 24 hours." And without saying another word, she quickly hurried from the hospital, leaving Morgan to explain to Ali and JJ the conditions of Ali's release.

Ali was packing up her few things from the hospital room when Madison came to get her. "Knock knock."

Ali jumped before turning around to see him. Seeing who it was, she relaxed. "Oh. Hey. Are you picking me up? I thought Hotch was coming."

He shook his head. "Something came up. JJ asked me to step in while she finishes with the paperwork."

Ali nodded and smiled. "Ready?"

"Yep."

* * *

Ali was in the car when her favorite song, Alison's Starting to Happen to Me by the Lemonheads, came on the radio. She threw her head back and began to sing. Quite horribly, but it was fun for her. Madison watched at first, before joining in on the chorus, Ali's enthusiasm contagious.

_"I never looked at her this way before, but now she's all I see_

_Alison's starting to happen, Alison's starting to happen_

_Alison's starting to happen to me"_ - Alison's Starting to Happen to Me by The Lemonheads

Ali paused for a second mentally, but kept singing. Something was familiar to her in the timbre of how he said Alison. It was that slight Southern accent, so similar to Michael Williams', that caught her off guard. Everything that she learned in the academy came back to her.

_Many Serial Killers pick close friends or family for accomplices._

_They often will share traits in common, if simply from knowing and working together for so long._

_People are attracted to others similar to them._

And suddenly she knew. She casually began looking around, wishing she had her gun with her. But they didn't trust a suicidal patient with a gun.

The song ended, and Ali smiled delightedly at Madison, although revolted on the inside. She couldn't have him guessing she knew anything.

She looked at the route they were taking. It was different from their normal route to the hospital that she knew all too well. Nervously, she said, "Ummm... I think we missed our turn."

He laughed. "Don't you worry, Alison. I know what I'm doing."

"My name isn't Alison. It's Natalie."

"Of course it is."

Ali gave him a sideways glance, but couldn't see anything beyond his ever present sunglasses. "How far away are we?"

Vaguely, he said, "Oh, we're close. Very close." And Ali knew that he wasn't talking about the safehouse. She was being kidnapped.

Casually, she tried to unlock her door without Madison noticing. But she forgot to take into account that he had training as well. "Alison, what are you doing?"

As a response, she tried to open the door. But it was stuck. He sneered at her, all pretenses gone. "Did you really think I would be that careless?"

She didn't respond, her mind already trying to jump ahead to find the solution to her problem. To her this was no more than a test set up by the academy to see if she would succeed.

She had seen him fight. He was good, and if it came down to it, Ali wasn't convinced that she would win. And he was armed. But if she could get her hands on the gun... She was one of the best shooters in the FBI. And she could do it. But to get the gun, she would have to get close to him. She had to play along with his fantasy.

"No. I did not think you were that careless. You're smarter than me. I'm sorry."

He grinned, showing his wolfish teeth. Ali wondered how she could not have noticed this trait before. "Good. You're learning."

They pulled into an old lot in front of an abandoned barn. He fingered the gun next to him. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Will you cooperate?"

Ali bit back her automatic smart ass response and said quietly and submissively, "Yes."

He leered at her. "Good. Put these on."

He handed her a pair of handcuffs, and she obediently clipped them on her small wrists. He got out of the car, and walked around to open the door for Ali. She got out, and could feel his gun poking her in the stomach. "Go inside. Don't make a noise."

Ali nodded wordlessly, feeling her heart pound in her chest. She walked the few feet to the doorstep, and he opened the door for her. She quietly walked in, her light footsteps only making a small creak on the floor. It was obviously an old barn, and she would bet that Madison had bought it solely for this purpose.

Almost hearing her thoughts, he walked up behind her. "Enjoy my place? I'm afraid it's not much, but it will have to do," he said with fake sincerity.

Ali trembled hearing his voice again. The voice from her nightmare. But there was one question she still had to ask him. "Is it true then? Was Michael Williams right?"

He sighed. "That asshole thought he knew everything. At least he was disposable."

Ali's wide turquoise eyes opened in shock. "Dad?"

He laughed at her. "Nice try. But you mean nothing to me."

"But why do all of this then?"

"Originally, you all were only our targets. Public figures all throughout the Middle East, Europe, even Africa, all dead. America was next, and where better to start than California? And you were the most popular teen star around. That fact that you were my offspring had nothing to do with it. But you look so much like your mother when I knew her. If I couldn't have her, I could have you."

If it was possible, Ali looked more shocked than before. "You - you raped her?"

Madison sneered. "Well, of course. Why do you think Rob hated you so much? You were a sign of his defeat. Of when he couldn't protect his wife. But Rob isn't here now, is he?"

All of the fight left Ali, and he could see that. Pleased, he took Ali and tied her to a bed in the corner. He pulled off her clothes, until she was lying there in her underwear. He gave a quick groan of desire at her, and she sent herself to that place in her mind where she was the only one there. Where it was peaceful, and all was okay, and all she wished was that JJ and the team would be there soon and rescue her from this nightmare.

_"It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and children."_ - Johann Schiller

**A/N: Shout out to Calzonaobsessed, who guessed the Director was the UnSub!**


	19. Chapter 19

_"Children begin by loving their parents. As they grow older, they judge them. Sometimes they forgive them." - _Oscar Wilde

"Morgan, have you seen Ali? Hotch never came to pick her up." JJ said, breathless from her mad dash around the hospital looking for the missing girl.

"Huh?"

"I said -"

"I know. I think I saw her leaving with the Director about 15 minutes ago. He said that you had some paperwork or something. Why?"

"Dammit."

She pulled out her phone, typing in a number on the keypad. "Hotch? Madison has her. Patch in Garcia."

She waited a moment, tapping her fingers against her hip, before Garcia came on the line. "Your friendly neighborhood Oracle of all things knowable and unknowable at your service. How may I save your ass today?"

"Garcia? It's JJ. Run a background check on Madison."

Garcia seemed to know that this was not a time to crack jokes due to JJ's tone of voice. After a few minutes, but what seemed like a few hours to JJ, she came back on the line and said, "Angelcakes, I may need a few more minutes and an army of clones. But there's definitely something fishy here. The firewalls on his information have firewalls, and then there's an encryption on the file that would take any normal technical analyst a few years to crack."

JJ was getting impatient. "Garcia, what are you trying to tell me?"

"I'm not a normal technical analyst. Give me 30 minutes. Garcia out."

She hung up the phone, and JJ went to explain to Morgan the new developments in the case.

True to her word, Garcia called back 30 minutes later to an anxiously awaiting JJ. Not even bothering with one of her customary greetings, Garcia got straight into the reason for her call. JJ kept nodding her head, and seemed to expect the information Garcia gave her. When there was a brief break in the flow of steady, "Uh-huh, yeah," Emily butted in to see if JJ could explain what was happening to her and Morgan.

"Jayje? Any news?"

As a reply, JJ shook her head and shushed Emily. Morgan cringed, knowing the backlash this would later have, but not caring at the moment.

After Garcia had hung up, Emily turned to JJ. "What did she learn? Is he the UnSub? Where is she?"

To stop the flow of questions, JJ held up her hand. All eyes were on her as she began to speak. "Garcia found out that David Madison has a squeaky clean record. That is, he's never done anything wrong. But she did some more digging, and it turns out that he had a twin brother, Donald Madison, who died when the boys were sixteen in a freak auto accident. We matched the oldest fingerprints on record for David to the newest for him, and they were not a match. Similar enough they may have missed it 30 years ago, but not identical."

Emily and Morgan exchanged looks, with Emily speaking for them. "So Donald is impersonating David?"

"Probably. And something I think you might want to know is that he had a baby girl via home birth about 18 years ago, with witnesses who later showed up dead. Ali was right. He is her father, and he did take her when she was a newborn."

All the pieces were starting to add up. Madison was the UnSub. "But where could she be then?"

"They had an old family farm that was renovated and sold in 1990, but Madison bought it back about 10 years ago. Address is being texted to you."

Sure enough, as if on cue, all Agents phones started to buzz. Emily glanced at the address, and then ran to the exit. Following, Morgan said, "You tell Reid what's going on, and we'll meet you there."

JJ nodded. Even though her first instinct was to run to Ali, she knew and trusted Morgan's instinct in these situations more. "Hurry."

* * *

Ali lay on the bed in the barn, trying to formulate a plan to escape. All she could think about was that, if she could get the gun and somehow free her hands, she could make it. But that was too many but's for Ali to be comfortable in her plan. One false move, and she was dead.

She squirmed against her handcuffs, and from some shadowy corner came Madison's commanding voice yelling, "Enough!"

She could hear his footsteps walking towards her, before his face obscured in ever-present sunglasses came into her field of vision. "Have you finally admitted I defeated you once and for all?"

"Never."

"Fine, then. But never say I didn't warn you." Ali tried to think of what he could be referring to, but her mind drew a blank. Madison saw puzzlement on her face and laughed. "Do you need me to spell it out for you? We both know that the BAU will find you eventually. I won't even need to hunt them. They'll come straight to me."

His plan started to make sense to Ali. He knew that he could do anything to Ali, and she couldn't care. But harm her family, or those she considered to be her family, and it would cause her more pain than imaginable. She snarled, "You wouldn't dare."

He laughed. "Just watch me."

* * *

Emily and Morgan pulled up outside of the abandoned farm. Putting a hand on their guns, they ran to the door. Common sense had been driven from their minds, leaving room for only one thought: Get to Ali.

Morgan kicked down the door, and Emily rushed inside, her gun raised. "FBI!"

The barn was empty except for a shape in the corner. Emily called out, "Ali?" As a response she heard a muffled noise. "Natalie?" She ran to the shape, with Morgan a few paces behind her.

They turned on the light in the corner and found Ali, stripped to her underwear and bound and gagged, but mercifully alive. "Ali? Don't worry, we've got you. It's fine." Ali was kicking around on the bed, and tangling herself up in the blankets.

Suddenly, she stopped. Taking advantage of the temporary calm, Emily pulled off the restraints before taking off the gag. As soon as she was free, Ali yelled out, "It's a trap!"

And that's all Emily heard before the world went black. Morgan spun around to face whatever had hurt Emily, and saw Madison in the shadows. "You."

Madison laughed. "Yes, me. Aren't you happy?" He threw a right hook into Morgan, but he sidestepped it easily before returning it with twice as much force. Madison crouched, lithe as a cat, before jumping up and using Morgan's momentum against him to put even more force into his blow. As good as Morgan was, Madison was better, and it was a very short fight.

The two agents taken care of, Madison turned around and said, "Very well done, Ali."

Ali turned away from him, and he knew he had broken her wall of protection. He sneered. "Happy now? Your team came to save you."

She didn't move. He snarled. This is not what he wanted. Almost talking to himself, he snarled, "Fine then."

Madison brought over the duct tape and a chair for Emily. He had hit Morgan much harder, figuring he only needed one agent for this, and knew Morgan would be out for quite some time.

When Emily was taped securely to the chair, he slapped her awake. Ali heard her low groan as she woke up, and lifted her head out of her hands. She could easily see her, obviously what Madison had intended. She also realized that Madison had left her untied. He knew as well as she did that Ali was done. All of the fight had left her.

He punched Emily in the mouth, causing her neck to snap backwards in shock. Blood welled up, and a cut split open in her cheek. But it wasn't anything compared to what he could do.

He leaned back once more, and threw all of his weight into the punch. Emily heard something crack, and then realized it was probably her nose. Behind his shoulder, she caught Ali's eyes. They locked eyes, brown to blue, and Ali shook her head, unable to do what needed to be done. She couldn't.

But then she lost eye contact as Madison, enraged, punched Emily again. And again. And again.

And Ali, as if in a trance, somehow got herself up. She walked over to him, with him so intent on Emily he didn't even sense her presence. He threw another punch into Emily's semi-conscious form, and Ali tapped him on the shoulder nonchalantly. "Hey."

He turned around, and, with his adrenaline still on high, attempted to punch Ali without thinking first. She dropped to the ground in the same trick he had used with Morgan, and rolled. He hit the empty air, and was forced to make some awkward maneuver to avoid dislocating his shoulder on the barn wall. This gave Ali enough time to slip and roll to the side of him, grabbing the firearm attached to his hip.

Finally recovered, he leaned down, his new goal being to kill this teenager once and for all. But Ali had other plans. She rolled onto her back, and onto her side, so Madison had to readjust his position to avoid hitting empty air again.

"Alison, just give up, and I promise I won't torture you or your team."

Ali's eyes flashed with distaste as she looked at the man in front of her. "No way in hell."

She bobbed up, and then crouched down, using the momentum to send her across the room. She stood up, and held the gun out in front of her, pointed at Madison. But knowing what she would do, while she was rolling across the room, Madison grabbed Emily and, splitting her bonds with a knife, propped her up in front of him as a human shield.

"I declare a draw, Alison. I leave, you don't chase me. We finish this some other time."

Finally, Ali exploded. "Stop trying to reason with me! You reasoning sucks!"

He laughed. "You remind me of your mother. So fiery and passionate."

Ali tried to figure out what she could do. She couldn't shoot him. He couldn't attack her. But then she saw something.

Emily was taking her bloody finger, and drawing something shaky on his hand in her blood. Ali realized what it was almost as soon as Madison. She shot, as he screamed, "No!"

The bullet hit him in the hand, squarely in the X Emily had drawn, causing him to release his hold on her. He fell backwards. Ali heard a clatter, and realized his sunglasses, which he had kept on even in the dark barn, had finally fallen off. She strode forward until she was directly in front of him. She stared at him with a mixture of hatred, anger, and sorrow, and snarled to him, "Look at me." Even though she knew what she would find.

He raised his bright turquoise eyes to his daughters, and matched her gaze. He knew her better than she did. He thought that if he met her gaze, and helped her realize that this was her chance to have a real father that she would spare him. But he was wrong, and he realized it as he met her steely, confident gaze. Softly, he said, "Goodbye, Alisa."

She didn't blink as she fired the gun. After his lifeless body had fallen on the ground in front of her, she said softly, tears falling softly down her face, "I'm sorry."

_"And I came to believe that good and evil are names for what people do, not for what they are. All we can say is that this is a good deed, because it helps someone or that's an evil one because it hurts them. People are too complicated to have simple labels."_ - Philip Pullamn

**So what did you think? Sorry it took so long to write!**


	20. Chapter 20

Ali sat in the clean, white hospital remembering what had happened to her after she had shot him.

JJ had shown up about 10 minutes later, just after the paramedics that Ali had called from Madison's cell phone. And from there? It was all a blur of doctors to Ali. Only one moment in time stuck out to her. When they were rushing to the hospital in the ambulance, JJ following in her car, Ali realized she felt at peace for the first time in her life. Nobody was trying to kill her or her family, and she was finally somewhere where she belonged. Even Grace was happy, and that, as well as the knowledge she could join her someday (but not before it was her time) was enough for Ali.

"Hey."

Ali shook herself back to the present as Prentiss, JJ, Reid, and Hotch came to visit. "Hey yourselves. What's up? How's Morgan?"

"The doctor said no permanent trauma. But he wanted to know about you. Are you okay?"

Ali didn't know what to say. Was she okay? But finally the answer came to her. "Yes." And nothing more needed to be said until Garcia, in all of her Garcia-ness, came barging in bringing Morgan in a wheel chair, Rossi walking in slowly behind them.

"Angelcakes! You're okay! Ohmigod I was so worried! Don't ever do that to me again!"

"Hey Little Girl."

"Morgan! You're okay!"

He laughed. "Yep. It was a bit shaky for a little while, but I'm fine now." Looking questioningly at the team, he said, "Did you tell her?"

JJ shook her head. "No."

Ali's eyes grew wide, and Morgan laughed. "Well, put her out of her misery!"

Everyone laughed, Ali the hardest. Finally, JJ relented. "Okay. Reid and I have something to say."

Reid stepped forward. "I ummm... I sort of may have asked... Uhhh... JJ and I are going to move in together."

Garcia and Ali started to scream, happy for their friends being able to make the next step together in their relationship. But then Ali realized something important. "Wait. If you two move in together, what will happen to me? I mean, I am 18, but it is somewhat illegal to leave me by myself because I'm a 'Suicidal Risk,' and I don't really do well by myself, and..."

Ali stopped speaking as she realized everyone was looking at her and she probably sounded like a self-centered idiot babbling on about herself during JJ and Reid's announcement.

Finally, Emily came to her rescue. "Well, since JJ is going to move into Reid's house, you will stay in her house with your new guardian."

Staring pointedly at her, Ali said, "And who would that be?"

Emily cleared her throat. "Well, uh, me. If that's alright with you. JJ can transfer guardianship extremely easily."

Ali muttered, "It's like I'm being sold." But she said it with a smile, so the team knew she was joking. Finally, she smiled, all worry lifted from her mind. "So... When can we get out of here and celebrate officially?"

Emily raised an eyebrow at her. "You are being released today, and you..." she turned around to glare at Morgan, who shot her a winning smile back, "are not being released until Garcia says it's okay."

He started whining. "But you got out early! It's no fair! Please? It's so... clean here!"

Garcia raised an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me? Nothing is wrong with clean. Besides, as soon as we get home, you can have it as dirty as you want."

She raised an eyebrow at him suggestively, and, behind her back, Ali mimicked throwing up, bringing a smile to JJ's face. "Well, if you are all set, we can get ready to go soon." Emily said, giving everyone a chance to gladly make their excuses to leave. When all but the original party of JJ, Emily, Hotch, Reid, and Ali had left the room, Ali asked, "So who's driving?" JJ and Reid would go back in Reid's car to their new house.

Emily pointed to Hotch, who nodded. "The Doc still hasn't given me permission to do any strenuous activity. Apparently sitting there working pedals and turning a wheel is work."

"Well, when you are driving..." Ali began, but Hotch cut her off. "Very good point, Prentiss. Hence, the whole team will get a two week rest, recuperate and heal break. Also, I figured you two and Garcia," He looked at Ali and Emily pointedly, "will help JJ move her stuff before Strauss catches on."

They all grinned. Eventually, they would overcome Strauss, but they didn't need to do that soon. They were fine. Mercifully, happily, fine.

* * *

"So... I hope you ladies have a wonderful vacation then." Hotch said as he walked out of the door. Ali nodded. "Thank you so much, Hotch. For everything."

Hotch nodded stiffly. "You're welcome, Natalie. Or is it Alison?"

Ali laughed cheerfully, before thinking about it. Technically, she could be Alison again. But there was just something about Natalie...

Emily walked up, hearing their conversation. "Didn't Madison call you something else?"

Ali's turquoise eyes turned a shade darker at the mention of her father. "Alisa. I looked it up. Alisa Cassandra Madison, born October 5th, 1996, died October 16th, 1996." She suddenly snorted in an unladylike fashion. "Shocker, isn't it? Another Ali- name."

Emily laughed. "But which one?" And this time there was a second meaning to the question. Ali had more names and lives than any other person they knew. But now she was free to choose her own path, and maybe it wasn't the one she was on.

Ali spoke. "I'm sure Alison would be big news now, with her mysterious murderer being caught, and I could make millions telling my story. But..." Ali let a pause fill the air. She had a real flair for drama. "I don't want that. I'm happy here. I like being Natalie. And I wouldn't change for the world."

Hotch smiled at the girl. "I'm happy for you, Natalie. I really am."

They heard a gasping noise come from Emily. "Aaron Hotchner, showing emotion? What is it, the apocalypse?"

Hotch grinned indignantly, before checking his watch. "I'm so sorry, but I do need to go. So if that's it...?"

He turned and walked out the door. Ali turned to look at Emily, but she was looking after Hotch. And suddenly the pieces clicked for Ali. Hotch's casual references to his freedom, Emily's googly eyed stare... Emily liked Hotch! And the revelation was so sudden for her it made perfect sense to go running after Hotch and say, breathless, when she caught up with him, "Forgot to mention... we were wondering if you wanted to have dinner with us soon?"

Hotch's face lit up. Looking at Emily, still silhouetted in the doorway, he said happily, "Yes. Thank you, Ali."

And Ali knew that this was probably not the last time he would be coming over. She thought of a quote by Mother Teresa that someone, a long time ago, had once told her. _"Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."_


	21. Chapter 21

_"A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you."_ - Elbert Hubbard

"Done!" Ali jumped up and yelled, relieved that she was all done with the paperwork.

The two week break had passed at an alarming speed, and the first day Ali got back to the BAU was devoted entirely to filling out paperwork.

JJ walked up and laughed. "Almost, Ali. But there is one more thing we need to take care of." She held out a piece of paper, and Ali read the first paragraph on it. She looked at JJ questionably.

"This is the press announcement. Why do I need to sign off on it?"

JJ looked at her closely before sitting on the corner of her desk, gesturing Ali to take a seat next to her. "Strauss wants you to come with us and talk to the press with us about the shooting, and tell the "truth," although somewhat abbreviated over the parts that make her look bad." JJ rolled her eyes. "We've tried to talk her down, but she's really our main authority until the Director fiasco is sorted out."

Ali looked unblinking into the distance, lost in her own turmoil of thoughts. Finally, she nodded. "Okay. But there is one thing I want in return."

"Name it."

"I want you to tell the truth as well. About you and Reid, I mean. Not now, but maybe in a few months. When all of this is over. But don't lie again." She grinned suddenly. "Otherwise, Garcia and I will figure out some way to team up on you two, and I'm sure Morgan would love to help us after Reid's little stunt with his phone a few months ago."

JJ gave her an identical grin. "Fine."

* * *

"And now I would like to introduce my friend and colleague, Special Agent Natalie Montgomery. But some may know her by another name."

JJ turned the mic over to Ali. She grinned broadly, her teeth stark white against her pale skin and auburn hair. JJ almost chuckled, thinking about the trouble they had gone through the night before to get her hair the natural color again, involving the two of them, Emily, Garcia, and Reid to determine the amount of chemicals they would need to strip her hair of the color but not burn it up.

Ali started to speak. Although she was nervous on the inside, she didn't show it. "Hey everyone. Long time, no see, huh?"

She let out a laugh, and a few of the reporters followed, but the majority were still staring at her openmouthed with curiosity, finally putting together all of the puzzle pieces to realize they all led to one person. Whispers of "Is that her? Alison?" led throughout the crowd.

Ali laughed. "It's really me. For the last few years, I have been working to get my FBI certification and become a full agent. About a month ago, I was brought back into one of my cold cases, on my family and their deaths. I was kidnapped by the killer, and he left me in a hospital to try and let people determine my identity. My team found me, and we put in place a security emergency procedure, allowing me to leave the hospital. I waited in the safehouse for another week, but I was getting depressed." Ali's voice became somber and sad. "I didn't want to have to live like this anymore. So, I tried to kill myself." Gasps rang throughout the dead silent crowd.

"But why, Alison? How did you turn so happy into that?" one reporter called out.

"I made a mistake. I know that now. Everyone has something to live for, and, as Ronald Reagan once said,_ 'We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone._' I feel like I now know that more than anyone. One of my team members, and closest friends, found me and rushed me to the hospital. At first I hated them for it. But then I realized that they had given me another chance. I finally came around, and got out of the hospital. But he - my family's killer - was waiting for me. He took me and my colleagues hostage, and tried to kill us. His identity remains unknown, as we have no record of him in any databases, but we can assure you that he is dead."

JJ walked up, rescuing Ali from the microphone. "Thank you, Special Agent Montgomery. Do we have any closing questions about the case?" The reporters who were looking around like they may ambush Ali with questions suddenly decided it would be a good idea to talk to her later, after seeing the steely look in JJ's eyes as she emphasized "about the case."

"Thank you very much." JJ closed up, and stepped down the podium with Ali. Immediately, the vicinity was filled with cries of "Alison! Alison!"

Ali marched passed them, not stopping to even glance in their direction. She made it inside of the police station a few feet away, and shut the door behind her and JJ, knowing the local police officers would keep all of the civilians and reporters from the station. Finally, she sat down, her legs collapsing fawn-like beneath her against the wall.

JJ rushed over to her. "Ali? Are you okay?"

Ali gave her a muffled groan. "I hate paparazzi. They're just so damn curious!"

JJ laughed at her. "At least they're gullible. Seriously, it's like impossible to not be in an FBI database somewhere."

"Yeah. Still though, it's nice that I no longer have to deal with hiding from everyone."

JJ nodded absentmindedly before realizing something. "Ummm... Ali? How exactly do you expect to get out of here?"

Ali smiled and winked at her. "I have my moments."

She stood up, and led JJ around back where a police escort was waiting with a big, chunky black Hummer. JJ looked at Ali, puzzled. "Ali, this is out normal car. we arrived in this one."

Ali grinned at her. "Yeah, which is why it will be empty. Now back here we have our real car." Behind her was a nondescript black car that could have belonged to anybody.

JJ nodded. "That may work."

"They'll go to the highway, and we'll go to the airport. We'll be back in D.C. before they even realize that it's a fake."

Grinning like an idiot, JJ said, "And that, my dear Natalie, is why you're my favorite."

A man in a black suit walked up to Ali. "Excuse me, Agent Montgomery, but would you like us to leave now?"

Ali nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Wyatt."

He suddenly looked much happier at being called by his first name by such a beautiful girl. "No problem, Agent Montgomery. Absolutely. Whatever you need." To clarify his point, the man nodded before briskly turning around and barking out orders to his team.

Ali and JJ could only hold in their laughter until the cars had driven off, and they heard the paparazzi behind them. Then, they laughed and snorted and giggled, watching the man so enamored with Ali drive off in an empty car with paparazzi following them. And Ali thought to herself, _life can't get any better than this._

_"Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it."_ - Groucho Marx

**Only a few more chapters before the sequel! It will probably be a LOT more lighthearted than this one, and will deal with the relationships between the team and how that will all play out. They will go somewhere fun, and it will be sort of a JJ/Reid and Hotch/Prentiss story from Ali's point of view. Thank to muccia12 for helping me with the final idea!**


	22. Chapter 22

_"You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor."_ - Aristotle

"Are we all done?" Ali said, wiping fake sweat off her forehead as she carried in the last box.

JJ laughed at her. "Why? Do you need to go to the gym? I'm sure Morgan would love to help you."

Ali now had real fear in her eyes. "Please don't! I promise I'll be good! I'll even do the dishes!"

"Well, there's something new. Tell me how you ever got her to anything, JJ, because it's like trying to make a brick wall do housework. Kids these days," Emily said, teasing her young friend.

Ali stuck out her tongue. "Cute. So do you want to pay for the pizza then? Because I can eat a remarkable amount of food for a small person." Adapting Emily's tone, she sighed and said, "Kids these days are always hungry."

"Well played, Natalie. Well played indeed."

But Emily didn't get to say anything more, as Garcia came running up. "Did I hear someone mention food? Yes? No? Because we are not having pizza. We are having homemade Italian a la Rossi, and fattening you all up. What excuse did Reid have at his lair?"

Ali and JJ exchanged guilty looks. "Uhhh... Ramen and Lean Cuisine?"

Garcia threw her hands up in the air. "That's it! If Spencer wants to starve himself, that's acceptable, but if he starves any one of my Starfish, he's going down." To emphasize it, Garcia made a fist and slapped her other hand.

In order to not hurt her feelings, Ali suddenly found something pressing to do over in the other room and made a speedy exit, leaving JJ and Emily to deal with Garcia.

She found herself next to Hotch and Morgan, who were relaxing on the couch with the TV and a cold beer in both of their hands now that all of the moving was done. "Hey little girl," Morgan grunted at her, albeit somewhat tiredly.

Ali snickered into her hand. "Did Garcia keep you up all night again?"

Morgan grinned wildly. "That woman never runs out of energy. I mean, mamma mia! She can go -" Hotch cut off Morgan.

"Thank you so much for that information, Morgan, but please keep this PG 13 rated, as technically you shouldn't even be dating."

Now Ali had to speak. "Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Man-who-was-at-my-house-for-all-of-last-night-and- mentally-scarring-me-for-the-rest-of-my-life. By the way, I could hear you two." Hotch blushed scarlet, and Ali continued. "And, doesn't two agents moving in together kind of violate that policy?"

"Well... Okay, maybe a little. But we'll figure it out somehow."

"Uh-huh. Everybody's falling in love. Did spring come and no one bothered to tell me? I swear that I'm destined to become forever alone."

Rossi walked over, hearing Ali's last comment. "Don't worry, Al. We'll be alone together forever." He batted his eyelashes at her.

Ali looked at him and laughed. "Cute, Rossi. Never call me Al again. Ever."

Rossi tried to look hurt, but had to stop before he started to laugh. Ali decided to change the subject. "So what's for dinner?"

He smiled. "Come and see." Raising his voice, he called into the next room, "Hey! Everyone! Get your asses into the kitchen!" He smiled at Ali, and she glared at him.

"That's my line!"

"You snooze, you lose, Sparky."

Deciding that she would never win the battle of the nicknames, Ali replied, "Fine, Davey."

They walked into the kitchen with the rest of the team, and Rossi unveiled his masterpiece. "Mama Rossi's favorite lasagna, paired with a glass of Riunite D'oro." The team all leaned forward to get a big chunk of the food, and passed it around on plates. Ali's stomach rumbled just looking at it.

They sat down, and Rossi poured wine for all of them except Ali. Hurt, Ali said, "Can't I just try a sip?"

Hotch smiled evilly at her. "No, Natalie, that is illegal."

Ali tried to plead with his better nature, so she turned to Emily. "Please?"

Emily smiled at her. "You should be able to try it. Just a little bit, Aaron?"

Hotch nodded at Emily's words, and only grumbled a few choice words under his breath as he went to get an extra glass for Ali. He set it in front of her, and poured some wine into it for her. "Thank you, Hotch," Ali said brightly. He wisely chose not to respond.

JJ smiled at them. "So who's excited to go back to work tomorrow?" Nobody responded, and JJ sighed. "Who's ready to go annoy Strauss tomorrow?"

At this everybody started to talk and smile at each other once more. Emily muttered, "Figures." She had never been able to forgive Strauss for hiring her as a spy, and now even less for her new strict policies on everything.

"Is she giving us any time at all off?" Ali asked.

Morgan smirked. "Of course not. She's dragon lady. It's not in her nature."

Ali sighed. "It was worth a hope. Although, I do suppose the last few weeks were like a vacation if you ignore the whole almost-dying thing."

Morgan smiled. "Almost."

* * *

Ali stood by the staircase off the main hallway awkwardly while the rest of the team hugged each other goodbye. JJ walked over to her, and, suddenly, hugged her. Ali's initial reaction was to hit her and run away. She looked fine, but there were invisible scars all over her. She would never look at people in the same light, and trust? To her, trust was a word that people used before the double crossed her. But, as Ernest Hemingway had said,_ "The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them." _

Haltingly, Ali put her arms around JJ and returned the hug, whispering into her ear so only she could hear.

"Thank you."

_"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'"_ - Eleanor Roosevelt

**_The End of Book 1_**

**A/N: So what did you think? This is the end of book one, but look for the (much happier and lighthearted) sequel called Secrets (for now at least; link at s/9281551/1/Secrets). Thank you so much for reading! As I have already stated, the sequel will deal with the relationships between the team in a new environment, and the romance between JJ and Reid (with Emily/Hotch and Morgan/Garcia). Hope you enjoy it!**


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